Time Warping (formerly called Lily and James)
by Jade Chen
Summary: Lily and James...behold the tragety, one of the many unverifiable theories on how they met etc.
1. Default Chapter Title

A/N: Uh...it was boring writing this…it isn't even water tight.   
Hope to make it a series…if I can even get it on this page!!   
Sorry it's so long but hey!   
Review it, I like to know what people think of me.   
Peace-ya-Jade!  
  
Lily took a tentative step towards the barrier. She just saw someone walk   
through it. Had her eyes been playing her for a fool,   
or was it really the way to get onto the Hogwarts Express? She went back   
about 10 feet or so, then walked briskly, straight toward the barrier of solid   
glass, plastic and metal. Lily held her breath tightly, waiting for a crash  
to hit her side wards directed face, it did not come. She kept walking   
until she did collide with something. She opened her eyes and looked up.   
A doe-eyed boy, tallish with unruly, messy black hair looked at her.   
Lily blushed and turned the colour of her hair, which was long and thick and   
the colour of auburn, crisp leaves when they started to die off in the coming   
of Winter.   
She mumbled 'Sorry,' sincerely, still blushing red.  
'First time through the barrier?' the boy asked back, inquisitively studying   
her, looking as though he was taking in every single detail of her.  
'Yes,' she said, appreciating his anticipation, 'Is it yours too, or are you   
not new to Hogwarts?' Lily said, all embarrassment forgotten.  
'Yes and no' he replied. 'I'm new to Hogwarts, but I continually travelled   
through this barrier when I was a boy to travel on the train to get to   
Hogsmeade with my parents.' He pointed to two people, aging, clearly in   
their late thirties, with flecks of grey hair reflecting the sun.   
'Did your parents not come?' he said, maybe even a little pity shone through   
his eyes, soft brown eyes that were honest, Lily couldn't help noticing   
despite her anxiety. She smiled, nervously and held out a shaking hand.  
'Lily,' she said firmly shaking his hand, 'my parents were so proud of me,   
ecstatic about having a witch in the family, I don't have wizard and witch   
parents so I'm probably miles behind everyone else. My parents dropped me off   
at the station, they couldn't come, they-er-had an appointment with the   
headmaster at Petunias, my sister, old school. They are trying to get back   
in again until the next term, so they can find a school that will accept her.'   
She started giggling at what Petunias so-called friends did to her at her old   
school.  
'James, James Potter, very nice to meet you Lily. What does your sister do,   
to ah, leave the school?' he enquired, fascination written on his face,   
looking as though if he waited a moment longer, he would burst.   
'Oh, she has a little trouble fitting in. She gets teased constantly,   
but she is very over sensitive. She was driven away-' Lily stopped abruptly.  
She was pouring out her family business with a person she just met, and a   
person who just joined him. Lily glared at the newcomer, disapproving of   
his un-announcement.   
'Ah, yes, er-sorry Lily, this is Sirius Black.' James looked apologetic,   
but amused at the same time. Sirius was berating him, in a very fake,   
motherly tone.  
'James, James, James.' Sirius sighed melodramatically. 'You didn't meet at   
the usual place, here I am wondering around, up and down the platform,   
and where do I find you? Chatting up some girl, some girl. Dripping with   
charm, for an twelve year old anyway and not one thought about the   
consequences.' Lily smothered giggles and James looked amused, with comebacks   
racing through his mind and a snigger on his face.   
'Yes mother, ah look! There's Remus. Remus!! Over here!' James called.  
'REMUS!! OVER HERE!' hollered Sirius and James together.   
Remus looked up from where he was standing, about forty feet from where Lily,  
James and Sirius were standing, nose (as usual) buried in a fictional Muggle   
book. Remus grinned as he looked up to see three figures, two familiar one   
not. He sat up of his trunk and started heaving it over towards them.   
Sirius ran over to help. He slapped Remus on the back, excited and Remus   
almost fell over with the force of his friends slap.   
He chuckled at a few of Sirius's jokes, and then went on to James.   
'James, old friend!! No see for a while, where were you? I wrote to you   
several times, but they didn't get to you obviously. CP returned with the   
letters about a week afterwards. CP is my owl you see.' He said pointedly   
at Lily.   
'CP? An er interesting choice' Lily said, obviously confused.  
'Carrier Pigeon, CP!' Remus cried enthusiastically.  
'Oh, okay,' Lily replied, looking slightly wierded out at the sight of Remuses   
enthusiastic, laughing face.   
  
Steam billowed out of the Scarlet steam train, and they knew it was time to   
get on. 'My first year at Hogwarts, I'm going to try at the very least, to do   
my best. I hope I remain friends with James, Sirius and Remus, even though   
Remus is a little, eccentric.' Lily thought.   
'Let's get on shall we?' said James, dragging his trunk, placing his owl on   
top, and offered to assist Lily.  
'Oooooooh, is this love, oh great James Potter in looooove? Haha!' Sirius   
cackled wickedly.  
'Sirius, honestly!!!' James said, blushing slightly, looking at Lily, then   
quickly glaring at his owl, Hooter, which was tawny on the neck and white   
everywhere else. 'You should know me better than that! My heart belongs to   
no one!' he said, with great dignity, glaring at Sirius waiting for the   
whispered comeback to arrive at Lily and Remus' ears.   
'His heart belongs to no one, okay James.' Sirius said aloud. 'Except Lily!' he hissed at the general direction of Remus. Remus sniggered.  
'Allow me to properly introduce myself to you Lily.' Remus said, in a deep   
and melodramatic tone. 'I am Remus Lupin, Sirius, James and I have been   
friends for about, oh what is it now Sirius two years?' Lupin questioned.   
'About that,' Sirius agreed, 'but James and I have been friends ever since we  
were little, we went to the same pre-school.'   
'Yes' James mumbled in agreement.   
They only shared the train compartment with another, Peter Pettigrew. He was   
a short boy, with pinkish skin tones and pale, blonde hair, Lily mentally   
noted. She thought, though her eyes could be deceiving her, that he looked   
rather like a pink skinned, blonde haired rat, with a slightly pointed chin   
and a short, pointed nose. If he had whiskers, the resemblance would have   
been rather astounding.   
'Come and join us!' James said cheerfully, with his mouth full of some sort of sweet Lupin had offered us all.   
'Yes, please do' Lupin mumbled, his mouth so full of lolly, that he could   
hardly open it. His jaws have been cemented together with his sweet, and   
James looked at him, then quickly decided to suck on his, as Sirius had been   
doing from the start.   
'Can I?' the boy said, looking pleased, but nervous. 'Oh, that would be   
good,I am always a bit of a loner.'  
'Sure, sure! Come over here!' said Sirius as he waved him over. 'Have you got   
enough room?' he said, just as Lupin offered him a cement sweet.   
'Yes, I'm fine, and thank you for the sweet. I'm Peter Pettigrew,' he said,   
cheerfully, yet still nervous.  
'Sirius Black'  
'James Potter'  
'Remus Lupin'  
All at once, the boys said their names. Peter looked befuddled. He screwed   
up his face and looked at Sirius. 'James?' he said, tentatively, with much   
hesitation.  
'Here!' James said, as though Peter was a teacher and he was the student in   
roll-call. All five burst out in laughter.   
'So then you must be,' Peter swaggered between Remus and Sirius, then looked   
at Sirius, 'Sirius?'  
'That's my name, so don't wear it out.' Sirius laughed at the blank looks   
from Lily, Remus and Peter, and James had slid off the seat from laughter   
conjured up from their blank looks as well.   
'The lunch lady should be coming soon.' moaned a now sobered Sirius looking   
mournfully at his wristwatch.  
'Oh, calm down Sirius, your hunger ails you far too often for you to possibly  
hungry again.' James almost snapped at Sirius. Lily looked up at James,   
expecting to see irritation on James' face, but didn't find the slightest drop   
of it. She saw a wide grin spread from James' face to Sirius' face, then   
started laughing again, in some private joke. Peter suddenly realised that   
Lily was there, he looked at Remus, bewildered.   
'Wh whoo who's that?' Peter quavered.  
'Oh, sorry Peter, that's Lily, James was talking to her at the station, and   
she kind of got on with us. Sorry, I didn't know you hadn't been introduced   
before.' Remus explained.  
'Oh, sorry, I'm Lily' she said, as Peter opened his mouth.  
'Lily soon-to-be-Potter that is…' Sirius cracked without hesitation.   
A cheeky, mischievous grin spread onto his face, lighting up his dark eyes.   
'Sirius,' James groaned, 'What are you on about?'  
'Oh nothing, nothing. Ah-lunch!' he said happily, pulling out some money   
from his robes and then negotiating with himself weather to buy something or   
not. In the end he bought a packet of Bertie Blotts Every Flavour beans,   
5 bars of pure chocolate, pumpkin pasties to suffice at least 10 people for a   
week and a pint of Pumpkin juice.   
'You eat that much?' said Peter in awe, which had just bought some pasties,   
and a small chocolate.  
'Yeah!' Sirius said, mouth wide open, spraying all of them with pastry crumbs.   
'You are going to be sick if you eat that much.' said Lily sternly, looking at   
him carefully under her brow, with a scowl forming on her face.   
'So? As long as I'm not hungry until supper…' he said, with a dismissive   
shrug.  
'And we all know how impossible that will be.' Said James after swallowing a   
bit of pasty. 'What did you buy Lily and Remus, you appear to have nothing?'   
'Ooh, Lily, your so fantastic, by the way, I'm the voice in James' mind,   
please fell fre-' Sirius said in a squeaky, teasing voice, before James   
clamped his hand over Sirius' mouth. Peter and Remus fell out laughing.   
Lily had a slight smile on her face, but looked outraged at the prospect of   
James liking her.   
'Though I suppose it wouldn't be so bad, I mean he isn't like Peter who is   
sort of dumpy looking. He seems pretty intelligent too' Lily thought to   
herself. She studied James secretly, taking in everything and imagined them   
several years later together. This bought a smile to her face.   
'I bought some chocolate, but put it away,' pointing at the bulging pocket in  
his robes, 'and a pumpkin patty'  
'Ah' said James. 'Lily?'   
'Will you marry me?' came an impersonated James, from next to him.   
'No I will not marry YOU SIRIUS BLACK!' she roared, slapping him on the arm,   
making everybody but him fall out laughing. 'Sorry James, I bought some   
sweets and like Remus, a pumpkin Patty.'   
The train finally slowed to a halt, all the first years got off. They were   
to be sailing to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry across the lake   
by boat.   
'All yeh firs' years 'ere thanks!' a big voice boomed. Everyone looked around   
to see where it came from, but no one found the source until one girl who was   
looking up, past the fog gasped, pointing upwards;  
'Look!'   
Obediently, everybody did so, and there was a mutter of whispers going across.   
He was maybe 8 feet tall, twice as tall as the girl who spotted him.   
And his shoulders were above the late fog. That was the one thing besides his   
actual height that made him look taller.   
'Four or five of yeh to a boat!' he boomed at everyone. 'Duck yeh 'eads for   
the first minute, or until this ruddy fog clears up.'   
Peter, Remus, Sirius, James and Lily all entered a boat. Sirius had whispered   
orders to everyone except James and Lily before they entered, but both James   
and Lily guessed what they were, and wanting nothing more than to spoil Sirius'   
plan to get them together, they both sat in different sides of the seats.   
Lily behind James, Sirius pulled a face and scowled, Sirius took the seat next  
to James and Peter and Remus squashed in with Lily. Remus split open a   
chocolate bar, offering it to everyone, and they all appreciably took a   
square, except for Sirius who attempted to take the remainder of the block   
until Remus stopped him.   
'What sort of wand did you get James?' asked Lily from the back.  
'Mahogany, eleven inches, suited to transfiguration mostly.' James answered,   
'Yourself?'  
'Ten and a quarter inches' she said, pulling it out, 'Charm work, a bit   
swishy perhaps, made of willow.'  
'Nice,' said James, lifting it from her hands and studying it. 'What core   
does it have?'  
'I don't know, I wasn't listening.' Said Lily evasively.  
'Oh, okay' said James.  
'Would you like me to whip up a little loooove potion perhaps James?' said   
Sirius from the back as they got out or the boat.  
'No thank you Sirius' James said firmly.  
'SIR-I-US!' shrieked Lily, moving to slap his arm again.  
'Oh no you don't!' Sirius teased as he quickly whipped his arm out of view,   
behind his back.  
'Youse there! Get on with it, the sorting!' boomed that voice.   
'Where?' said Lupin, Pettigrew and Black, all looking confused.  
'O'er there!' said the figure pointing towards the entrance.  
'Oh. So what's your name?' James said, speaking for all.  
'Rebeus, Rebeus Hagrid, I'm gameskeeper, Dumblebore, great men he is, more   
than man he is. But if youse don't get to the Sorting soon, I'll loose me   
job!'  
'Okay,' said James meekly. They scuttled off towards the line of first years, where   
Professor McGonagall was introducing herself.   
'I'm Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house and Deputy Headmistress. I'll lead you into the great Hall for the sorting ceremony. Follow my lead please.'  
Serevus Snape was poking Peter in the back sharply making him jump a foot in   
the air each time. He laughed maliciously.   
'That Snape!' said a passing Black. 'I met him once…Real sleaze…I hope he is   
in Slytherin.'  
The doors opened to the Great Hall. Gasps from every part of the line formed by the first years. The ceiling was velvety blue black, with wisps of luminous cloud. The moon was a golden, pale crescent somewhere to the west and there were stars were in constellations across the roof. There were stars that shone with a red, blue even black glow, presumably the planets and there was a comet streaking across the ceiling, very fast. There were more gasps as another comet raced across the room, leaving a trail behind it and chasing the other one, fast closing in. Lily, behind James was in absolute awe, she looked up at the ceiling several times and gasped. There in front of us was a stool with a hat sitting on it. The hat was ragged and dirty, but not yet in need of a patch. Dirty so sever but not dirty enough to be cleaned. Worn and ragged, but again, not in need for a patch.   
'I heard that you needed to be sorted into a house, and this must be how you   
do it, like you have to pull something out of the hat or something…' the   
person in front of James and Lily said. Then to the person at the start of   
the line shock, it started singing:  
  
  
I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
That could lead you into greatness,  
I can hear your every thought  
But please do have you patience,  
Four houses are there,  
With histories noble and great,  
Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin,  
And I shall decide your fate.  
You could be put in Hufflepuff;  
Were all are kind and fair,  
Or I could put you in Ravenclaw;  
Intelligent and just, are put in there,  
The house of great Godric Gryffindor;  
Where bravery is on cue;  
Or Salazar Slytherin's;  
Where ambition is true.  
So come on down and take a stool  
So I can have you sorted,  
Placed in the house that suits you best,  
And you will be rewarded.  
  
  
Everyone burst into applause. After the applause had died down, the Great   
Hall was silent except for the voices of Professor McGonagall, the Sorting hat   
and the bursts of applause as each person was giuded to his or hers   
appropriate table. Lily felt nervous; Sirius, Remus, Peter and just then   
James were all in Gryffindor. She had no other friends here except for them,  
because of that entertaining train ride, where James had accepted Peter under   
his wing. Lily heard her name called by Professor McGonagall, and she sat   
down tentatively on the seat and lifted the hat to her head.  
'Hm…Lily, nice name. Mr Potter is quite fond of you, I read it in his mind,   
now I see that you too are fond of him…ah love. But on anycase, should I put   
you in Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. You are not suited to Slytherin,   
even though I said it was for people with ambition, it really is the worst   
house to be in. I see you as a great witch Lily (Potter-OOPS! hahah) so I   
shall put you in -er-ah-um…GRYFFINDOR!'   
There were cheers from the far table to the left. She took a seat next to   
Sirius, and he immediately stood James up and threw him in his old seat, and   
took James'.  
'This way we share him' Sirius said, winking mischievously.  
'Oh, you infuriate me Sirius!' Lily said, by this time, Sirius almost went   
flying back in his chair. James had hit him from under the table. Remus,   
Lily, Peter and James burst out laughing while Sirius was putting on a mock   
hurt look and pretending to weep melodramatically.   
'You -sniff- hurt m-m-mee-sniff-c-c-rhy-y.!' Sirius acted. Everybody in the   
area laughed. There were 2 more boys in the Gryffindor house at first Year   
level; Charlie Donelan (and his twin sister, Monika who is also in Gryffindor)   
and Andrew Killop.   
After the feast had finished the boys went to the common room, after exploring   
the dormitory, to play some chess. Lily was down there, reading something,   
or wrestling with her own Chess Set. They all wondered over there, Peter,   
Remus, Sirius and James. They offered to play her, round robin, who won the   
most games won the competition. They all agreed, except Peter, who said he   
didn't have a chess Set. The all looked at him dubiously, but then seeing   
the ashamed look on his face, turned away, saying he could borrow theirs if   
he wanted to play, or he could referee if he didn't. Peter agreed to   
refereeing so the competition began. It started out with Remus against Lily   
and Sirius against James. James won, but marginally. Remus won against Lily   
by a big margin.   
'Oh, don't worry Lily, James will let you win,' teased Sirius.  
'Sirius, I don't have a like Lily in that way, she is my new friend-nothing   
more.' James said coolly.  
'James, I have known you long enough to tell when you like a gir-ah' Sirius   
suddenly stopped in mid-speech. Lily was rubbing her elbow, James was looking   
perplexed and Remus and Peter were practically rolling on the floor with   
laughter. Sirius was glaring at Lily, but still had a grin on his face.   
She looked at James sheepishly, blushing again, brilliant red.   
'Ooooh,' Sirius said, fully recovered from whatever broken ribs he had, 'she's   
even sticking up for you now! Lily and James Potter - what a handsome couple.'   
'You,' said James, pointing at Sirius who was dancing around Lily and James in   
a circle, as if by magic there was going to be an invisible minister and   
marry them, 'are an idiot.'   
'Lily and Ja-ames, Lily and J-ames, Lily and Ja-ames, oh what a beautiful   
choice!' Sang Sirius now halfway down the common room.   
  
*  
  
'Have you got the potion?' demanded a low, rumbling and scary voice.  
'Y-y-yes-s my Lord, I have the potion here, ready for you,' a small man   
quavered.  
'Good. Bring it here, once I have gathered enough power, the world shall be   
in the palm of my hand, and if I die you shall continue the race for dark   
force around the globe.' Said the voice. A green illuminating mist came of   
the chair where the voice came from.   
'H-h-he-here you are L-lord,' the tiny voice cracked and he swallowed   
profusely.  
'Steven, you will find someone to translate the Old Latin potion formula will  
you not?'  
'Y-yes my-y Lord' trembled Steven.  
'Good. Can you get my snake for me? I need to feel it's power,' the voice   
said. 'I shall get rid of this stupid Muggle name forever soon. People will  
be learning to fear this voice, even this name. The world can be a chaotic   
place. Tom Marvolo Riddle. Search for an anagram-if it's the one I want, I   
shall reward you. If you don't I shall punish you, one word is lord. Now   
search,' the voice demanded. Steven waved his wand in the air, Tom Marvolo   
Riddle appeared. He waved it once more and the word Lord came out of the   
letter. Steven found something, a fold. Could this be a clue, fold, fold,   
of course, an accent! That was it! Fold became Vold. Now to figure out the   
rest. He waved his wand once more, the solution became clear. Steven waved   
his wand for the last time, working on this puzzle. In green metallic letters  
came the words in front of his lord's eyes: I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. A slow long  
cackle came out of Voldemorts mouth. WELL DONE STEVEN appeared in front of   
him.   
'Averda Kedavra' Voldemort hissed.   
'No' Steven whispered.  
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

A/N: A bit short, sorry.   
Thanks to readers, this   
one's boring as the last one  
I'll write better and more next time.  
Peace-ya-Jade.  
  
'-and the series of murders under his belt. He is described as evil and   
extremely intelligent. There was nothing wrong, physically, with the murder   
victims. They are all in good health apart from being deceased. They all   
appear to have expressions of fright or are in mid-scream at the instant they  
die. We give warning to all people, he is a serious killer with a psychotic   
disorder, and he is extremely dangerous and ruthless. I'm Katriona Smith,   
with the 6 O'clock news. Goodnight.' Click-the television was turned off.   
'Stupid fools!' a muggle hissed. 'Why haven't they caught him yet? These   
murders have been all around the world, surely they would have caught him at   
the airports by now? These murders are only days apart, he doesn't fly by   
broomstick, he can't magically evaporate and then condense, he has to be   
getting there somehow, if they concentrated on that, they would find him.'   
The muggle wheezed, anger was clearly in his voice. He was purple in the   
face and his moustache looked as though it would catch on fire. His name was  
Jonah Swergansen, he once lived in Sweden but had emmigrated to Britain and   
was now head of Police shock unit. He was sitting with his wife and child at  
the handsome dinner table, with traditional British food. Puddings, Trifle   
and Pies. He was forbidden to give any thoughts about this case, because it   
wasn't in his unit, until they found a survivor that was fit to talk. He was   
outraged at these murders had taken a long 6 months to even get a clue. The   
only thing connecting the deaths, besides their manner or torture and well,   
they didn't know what to name the last method, was they were a) done by the   
same group or person, b) all were in big abandoned mansions c) all had a   
photograph in black and white with 'I am Lord Voldemort' written on it, with   
silver ink that appeared to be taken with the photograph, not actually written   
on the photo. He was puzzled, but had come up with these links before the   
homicide squad.   
  
*  
  
'I do not like her' said an irritated voice from under sheets.  
'Yeah, sure, my name isn't Sirius Black.' Said Sirius.  
'Well…' said Lupin hesitantly, 'you seemed to nail me at chess and not her.   
I beat her. So why didn't you?'   
'Yeah!' said Sirius brightly. 'Oh, damn, well done, good game.' Sirius'   
impression of James didn't go down too well.  
'You didn't take your eyes off her in the common room after chess,' giggled   
Peter somewhere on the dormitories circular floor looking for something.  
'I was talking to her!' James said defensively.  
'You mean you were flirting with her, you are 12, don't you think you are a   
bit young for this?' Sirius said pointedly.  
'Oh yeah, if you had as many girlfriends as you claim, then you would be broke   
because of all those terminations you would have to pay for.' said Remus with   
the hint of a smile in his voice.  
'Ooooh, that's gotta hurt!' said Peter, his voice high because he was on the   
verge of exploding with giggles.  
'I agree' said James laughing.  
'Yeah well…' said Sirius, obviously not wanting to stop mocking his friend,   
but not wanting to get mocked in return.  
'Good Night' Charlie yawned,  
'GOOD NIGHT!-' Sirius exploded, protesting, but was beaten by Andrew.  
'About time' snapped Andrew from his bed, sounding tired. He, like most of   
the others in the dormitory hadn't bothered to un-pack his things, but he was   
so tired that he, unlike the rest of them, had fallen into bed and was   
attempting to fall asleep with his daily robes on, not pajamas.  
'Good Night every one.' And within a second the whole dormitory was asleep.  
  
*  
  
James woke up with a start. He had cold sweat pouring out of his forehead.   
His light, skinny body was puffing and panting. What had the dream meant?   
All James knew was that it was scary, about Voldemort in Brazil and a chain   
of muggle and wizard murders. He strained to remember his dream, but was   
distracted by a pain of hunger from his stomach. James looked at his gold   
wristwatch, it had a few stones encrusted in it and had useful functions, it   
told him the day, date, time, month etc. It was 6:53 am. William had already   
gone down for breakfast, or to the toilet and Sirius had obviously woken, but  
had fallen back to sleep. He was on the floor, resting on his left side,   
and his hand was holding a sock, halfway to his leg. Sirius was obviously   
getting dressed, but hadn't managed to stay awake. A large snore turned James'   
attention to Peter. He had a funny snore, not the usual snore of a scrape of   
bricks together, but more like a groan, sounding like he was choking. Peter   
was curled up in a ball, his head facing the opposite direction to where he   
had started and was sucking his thumb. He was greenish, but it could have   
been the pale light. Remus was up, looking around and studying everything   
and everyone. Remus was like that, watchful. He always wanted to become a   
teacher (who knows why?) at Hogwarts or maybe Durmstrang, even if he could   
find the place to send his application. Lupin always wanted to go to   
Durmstrang, no one knew why though, no one thought the less of him for it.  
  
James woke Sirius and Remus woke Peter, who shrieked when Remus touched him.   
'Sorry,' said Peter, looking pink and sheepish, 'I was dreaming that I was-ah'   
he broke off abruptly.  
'You were having a wet dream?' Sirius asked, rather amused, putting on his   
sock.  
'NO!' Peter screeched, now looking downright embarrassed, 'I wasn't having a   
wet dream, only half of it...' His voice trailed off as he went redder and   
redder.  
'Don't worry Peter,' said James kindly, shooting furious looks at Sirius.   
Sirius sent him a spoilt look. 'It happens one time or another…look at Sirius,   
it happens every night to him!' James said chuckling. This sent all four of   
them into laughter, even Sirius.  
'I'm hungry,' Sirius wailed.  
'Your hungry never leave does it?' James declared.  
Peter whispered to Remus; 'How does Sirius eat so much, and still stay so   
thin?' Remus chuckled, and so did James, who was standing next to Peter at   
the time.  
'I don't know…you might want to ask the sewer system.' Remus said in reply.  
'He eats a lot, but he laughs and teases so much, that his brain, without   
food as a source of blood sugar, would shrivel up and wither away…' James   
said as Sirius sent him an annoyed look, giving him a greasy and poking out   
his tongue.  
'Put your tongue back in your mouth' snapped Lily as they entered the common room.  
'Ooh look James! It's ooh, aah Lily' Sirius teased, giving a fake cough that   
sounded like 'Potter'. James picked this up and gave Sirius a hard slap   
between his shoulder blades.  
'What ya do that for?' Sirius said, looking pretending to look crushed.   
'Oh,' James said, widening his eyes, looking naïve, 'I thought you were   
choking, so I gave you a slap on the back. You mean to say you were just   
pretending, when I was saving your life?'  
Sirius glowered at him, knowing he was caught fair and square. He knew this   
was mock, but he had competed with James his whole life, in a friendly way.   
The similarities between them were astounding, both with dark hair, almost   
same height, both loved mischief and had handsome faces. Both were agile and   
quick both physically and intellectually. James was more down to earth than   
Sirius, who had a slightly larger head. Lily laughed with the rest of them at   
their antics and animation.  
'What do you think they have here for breakfast?' Lily asked.  
'Judging by last night? Toast, Sausages, fruit? Anything really.' Remus said.  
'Yum…' said Lily, awe in her face.  
'DO NOT TALK IN FRONT OF ME ABOUT FOOD!' gritted toothed Sirius said as James   
gave the Fat Lady the password.  
'Good Morning to you too!' said the Fat Lady, in a huff to the backs of Sirius,   
Remus, Peter, James and Lily.  
'What's your dormitory like Lily?' asked Peter.  
'Much like yours I expect,' said Lily dryly. 'It's circular and has tiny   
windows, its down two floors from yours I think, you just go up one flight   
of stairs right?'   
'Yep,' said Remus. Sirius chanced a look at James, but nothing showed on his face.  
'Yes then you are 2 floors above us. Ours smells like mildew a bit, though   
it could have been one of the girls…' Lily screwed up her nose at the thought   
of the smell.   
'Is your dormitory comfortable?' asked James.  
'Yes, very' Lily said, nodding. 'We have four poster beds and the bathrooms   
are two doors down from us.' She said, her red hair shimmering as they drew   
nearer to the Great Hall. Sirius opened the door, and Remus took over   
holding it, as he was behind Sirius and Sirius ran over to the Gryffindor   
table. He picked up everything near him and started eating, he had almost   
finished his first serve as Lily sat down. Lily picked at her plate of toast  
and fruit. 'I want to go, but I can't, I want to wait for the mail.' Lily   
thought. She was still tired, the girls had kept her up all night, giggling,  
constantly.   
'Well,' James said, patting his stomach in a very satisfied way, 'Must be off,   
Transfiguration with McGonagall now. Come one Sirius' James said, urgency in  
his voice, pulling Sirius away from the table by the collar of his robes   
thanks to James.   
'Okay, okay' grumbled Sirius, mouth still full.   
  
They made their way to their dormitories, so they could get their books for   
the classes before lunch. 'Transfiguration is one of the most difficult   
branches of magic, it requires concentration and skill. You will be learning  
basic forms of transfiguration first, a match to a needle and so on. There   
are also human forms of transfiguration. There are werewolves, who transform  
involuntarily at the full moon, (Remus shuddered, Sirius and James noticed   
this and gave each other quizzical looks) and Animagus, they can transform   
themselves, at will, into the animal they first turned into when they became   
Animagi. Transfiguration requires a lot of concentration. We shall begin   
with the theory.' Professor McGonagall explained. They copied down notes   
from the blackboard and Will asked if he could borrow James' notes after the   
theory, he had missed a few paragraphs. James agreed.   
'You will each be given a matchstick. You will attempt to transfigure it   
into a needle. House points awarded for the best needle.' Dumbledore   
informed the class, and spent the remainder of the double lesson trying to   
transfigure the matchstick into a needle. It was extremely difficult,   
but Sirius and James managed to get it right. Sirius got it after James did.  
Sirius got it first time, but had watched James carefully, knowing exactly   
what to do. He had no hesitation in admitting this when Professor Dumbledore  
gave him credit. His needle was fairly blunt, gold and didn't have a thread   
hole at the top where as James' had been silver, with a sharp point and had a  
small, but not invisible, thread hole. Sirius was awarded five house points   
and James ten. Remus got his next with a group of others, including Lily and Charlie.  
  
  
*  
'When will you learn?' Voldemort said sadly to Christok. Christok had let the   
Muggle police know about Stevens death, only two days ago. Christok was   
known for having a strange attachment to things.   
'I know have to hide elsewhere because of you' Voldemort told Christok, incensed.   
'It was time you moved on anyway Voldemort, you were getting too lax about   
your situation. I thought you liked the attention at any rate.' Christok   
said, not apprehensive at all.  
'Yes, I do, it suggests I am gaining force. However, you do not disclose my   
location until I have fled.'   
Voldemort looked calm, but inside he was outraged. He was beginning to trust  
Christok but this was unforgivable. Voldemort summoned Gene. Voldemort   
performed the Imperius Curse on her, 'take him to a busy muggle street near   
here.' Voldemorts voice appeared in her head. '  
'Yes Master' her brain said.   
'You will kill him, averda kedavra curse, the killing curse, you understand?   
In the middle of the road.' Voldemort instructed.  
'Yes master, Stupefy' Gene said, now holding her wand out in the direction   
of Christok, she performed a hovering spell and with her wand up her sleeve   
made it look like he was simply walking next to her. They went to the muggle   
street named 'Avenue Violinen' in Germany. She whispered hoarsley 'Averda   
Kedavra' Christok died, in the middle of the street. Gene screamed, making   
it look like he had been stabbed in the back with a knife that Voldemort had   
given her. She was questioned by what the muggles called policemen, but she   
didn't have a word of German to her vocabulary. The got in a servant of Lord   
Voldemorts to translate her English. He fed them lies on previous instructions   
and Gene and the translator made their way back to Voldemorts mansion.   
'Well done, I didn't think you could pull it off…' Voldemort said.   
'You know have faith in us, Lord?' the translator questioned.  
'Yes, I do, you may leave to Britain, set up a camp there for me. Make it   
comfortable, please. Inform me when it is ready, I shall apparate.'   
Voldemort notified to his newly proven servants. 'Go.'   
'As you wish, Lord' and they apparated out of sight.  
  
  
  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

A/N: Thanks for your praise,   
This one has more focus on Lily and   
the not-yet-known-as, Marauders. This   
one has less of Voldemort,so sorry to   
his fans...Peace-ya-Jade.  
  
'History of Magic…' Sirius complained, 'is the most boring subject to date.'   
It was now September the fourth, and in the Daily Prophet, news of another   
murder, presumably by Voldemort, of a Wizard name Christok Chug, who was   
apparantly right in Voldemorts inner circle.  
'I thought it was good!' mumbled Lily, her voice getting noticeably higher   
as she continued.  
'Yeah, but that's because you didn't know half of that stuff…' said Sirius,   
flapping his hand.  
'Are you suggesting' said Lily, perilously quiet, 'that I only like History   
of Magic, because I am Muggle born?'   
'No, I was saying that you don't know half of it, so you would find it   
fascinating. I read the textbook, if you must know, and Hogwarts: A History   
before school started, that's why I don't find it fascinating. I have read   
all about it.' Sirius said, with a smug tone.  
'Well then' said Lily, taken aback, 'I'm sorry, I apologise.'  
'Twice!' said Sirius and the table fell out laughing as he was holding up a   
chicken bone, grinning broadly.  
'As long as we are all on speaking terms' said Remus.  
'We are.' Said James, Sirius and Lily all at once in different tones. 'Here   
comes Peter now' said James as if he was talking to himself.  
'What happened with Professor Binns' asked Lily, concerned.  
'I got detention' Peter said, looking close to tears, Sirius and James   
suspected it was because of the ghost rather than anything else, 'I have to   
go with Filch and -hicc- clean, the toi-toilets.'   
James, Sirius and Remus laughed while Lily scowled and got herself worked up.  
'Why do you have to clean the toilets? You didn't do anything! I was there!   
You didn't do anything wrong. Don't blub!' Lily exploded.  
'He -hicc- said that I was being discourteous to him, and accused me of   
bigotry towards ghosts.'   
Nearly Headless Nick laughed, sending his head, like a hinge, to the side   
revealing some anatomy any of them didn't want to see.   
'What did you do boy?' he asked merrily.  
'I simply said, why is it being taught by a ghost, why not a live teacher?   
It was under my breath too!'  
'And he heard you?' Nearly Headless Nick (the Gryffindor Ghost) finished for him.   
'Hicc-yeah' said Peter, again on the verge of tears. Sirius looked away, as   
did James and Remus but Lily still had fire in her eyes.  
'He can't do that, can he?' she fumed. 'All he said was, why didn't they   
have a Professor that was alive?'  
'Aah, but he might of taken offence, I don't know why he did, he doesn't   
usually, but he might of this time. He feels it is bigotry to offend him   
about being dead. Discrimination. We'll cop this when he comes down to the   
dungeons after your detention.' Nearly Headless Nick explained carefully, but   
he still was laughing.   
'At least you don't have to go into the girls toilets…' said Filch from   
behind them.  
'Y-yes si-ir' stammered Peter.  
'It should take you three hours, tops.' He replied.  
'THREE HOURS!!' screeched Peter.  
'Maybe more if you don't get the job done properly, if you don't clean all   
the toilets, good and proper, you will have to do them all again for the week.'   
Argus said threateningly.   
'Now, now' said Nearly Headless Nick.  
'Oh god, sorry Nick, but we must be off. We have to get to the dungeons for   
potions.' James said to everyone at the table.  
'With Slytherin' Sirius muttered darkly.  
'Yes, we must be off' agreed Lily as she checked her watch.  
  
Potions was in dungeon 5 and we had Professor Erb. She was very tall, though   
about three feet shorter than Hagrid. She was very astute and Sirius and James   
picked up that she wasn't a teacher that could easily be fooled. They sat   
down, and Peter, who was furthest from James and Sirius, was picking his nose.   
'I hope you don't eat that' mouthed Sirius, as he looked mortified at Peter.   
Sirius nudged James and told him what happened. They both Sniggered and   
Sirius passed this information onto Lily who passed it onto Remus.   
'Hey!' Sirius said, 'Why am I sitting next to Lily? Get up' he said to James.  
'No' said James firmly.  
'Is there a problem boys?' a bright, high voice came from the opposite end of  
the room in which they were sitting.  
'No' said James quietly, but Sirius had other plans.  
'Yes there is' he said, sighing as he said it melodramatically. He stopped.  
'And it would be…' drawled Professor Erb. The class laughed.  
'Oh yes, right. James here was just swapping seats with me because the glare   
is bouncing off his glasses. There is an inconvenient candle that is causing   
him some problems Professor. As these are our permanent seats (protests from   
James) I thought I better swap with him so he could stop complaining.' Sirius   
said, thinking quickly and beaming.  
'How thoughtful of you Sirius. Two house points for your concern.' She said.   
James swapped reluctantly and Remus, Sirius and Peter all sniggered privately,   
their faces facing away from James and Lily.  
'Sorry' James rumbled to Lily, swinging his seat out three feet than necessary   
to the side where Sirius was sitting. He whimpered under his breath,   
clutching his elbow.  
'Potions is a very precise art of magic. They can take from minutes to months   
to formulate. Be careful, some ingredients are very powerful, and everything  
must be done to exact instructions because if they are not, it could become   
the reverse to what you want. For Example: you are brewing a gnome deterring  
potion, and it is slightly thinner and a dull brown, you know you have done   
something wrong, but you are not sure what. It call give the gnome the power  
to grow, or become stronger, or even to be able to charm someone and then   
taking their wand. It is very important that it is done correctly, or it   
could turn out very nasty. Turn to page four of your book, and read to me   
the warning in unison. One, Two, Three'  
'If your potion has gone wrong, and you do not know exactly what is wrong with   
it. Pour it into a wax container and seal it. Throw it away immediately in   
one of the safety bins. The Ministry of Magic will then safely dispose of it.'   
Everyone, except Serevus Snape and his gang, did this.   
'Snape? Where is Snape?' Erb asked.  
'Here.' He said, looking sinister.  
'Why didn't you, and you table, read the warning?' she asked.  
'Because it's bull.' He sneered at her.  
'Is it now? This information could very well save you life, and you are   
telling me it's bull?' she demanded, voice getting shrilly. Snape looked bored.  
'My father works for the Disposal of Dangerous Magical Substances Board.' He   
said coolly.  
'Then you should know, all too well. Tell me, has you father come home from   
work with burns and cuts, with bulging hand muscles and weak in the head?'   
she asked, her voice getting colder and stiffer and proper.  
'Yes he has. If everybody did their potions right in the first place, he   
wouldn't have those burns and cuts.'  
'So' she said, with raised eyebrows, 'If you get your potions wrong, you will  
look a fool won't you?' she said, dangerous and cold. Snape couldn't find a   
response to this, so he curled his lip and stood in silence, glaring at her.  
'Very well. Nothing to say about this? Ten points from Slytherin,(the   
Slytherins howled) and anymore cheek from the rest of you Slytherins, and it   
will be fifty for every word you say.' She said crisply.   
Sirius looked at her in amazement  
'Did she just say, what I think she said?' he breathed to James, head down   
pretending to be squinting at his book in the dim light of the dungeon. James  
tipped his head slightly to show he heard him.  
'Please open your books, we shall begin with a brief historical lesson in   
alchemy and potions and then will move on to practical if there is enough   
time. Homework is to read the chapter of theory on page thirty-seven and   
then answer questions one to six, then twelve to twenty.'  
  
*  
  
'She is so cool!' Sirius gloated. 'She gave us house points and took them off  
Slytherin. She deducted, er, one hundred and ten points from them and gave   
us twenty points each..' he looked at James and Lily and then pointed at   
himself. 'Plus the five points to Charlie, so that's a sixty-five to us and  
one hundred and ten off them!' he said gleefully.  
'She could've taken more off, but she was so busy thundering Snape to notice   
he was talking for about a minute to notice him…oh well.' Peter said with a   
small sigh.  
'I like her!' said Lily talking for the first time in a while.  
'So do I.' Muttered Remus in agreement.  
'She's not even in our house!' James pointed out , 'she could turn at any moment.'  
'What house is she in?' asked Lily as they headed towards the greenhouses.  
'Ravenclaw.' Said Remus.  
'I hope we get a Gryffindor for a Herbology teacher.' Said Peter soberly.  
'Yeah, or a Ravenclaw, not Slytherin. I hope we don't get a Hugglepuff   
teacher, because then they are going to give Hufflepuff more points than us…' said Sirius watching his feet.  
'Yeah…' said Peter.  
They arrived at the front of the greenhouses and stood next to some Hufflepuffs.   
'Hi' they said and got some mutters back.  
Then the teacher came out. He was tiny. Shorter than them, and he had mousy  
brown hair that was greasy. He had a pleasant flutey voice and his eyes were  
twitchy, never focusing on the one face or place for more than a few seconds and   
they never settled. 'How odd' thought James.  
This Professor was under the Imperuis Curse, being controlled by Voldemort.   
He wasn't a Death Eater, but was forced under Lord Voldemorts control.  
'Ah, so you are my class, Hugglepuff and Griffindor First Years, or am I   
mistaken?' he said in his little voice. 'Show me the one next to the girl   
with the red hair,' a voice hissed inside Ertopsun's head. 'Yes, that's the   
one.' Said Lord Voldemort. 'He shall join me…'   
  
*  
  
'I am cold Gene, light me a fire please.' Voldemort expected.  
'As you wish, Lord.' She said tonelessly.  
'Good. You are learning quickly' he said cruelly.  
'I hope too be there when you rise to power, Lord' she said, again neutrally.  
'You do not wish to be tortured once more…' he drawled.  
'No master, please no' she begged.  
'Get on with the fire then.' He snapped.  
Voldemort and his party were now in Britain, in a grand new mansion eager to   
be sold. Every time a bidder came up, the Death Eater modified their memory   
in the managing real estate office. It was white and big, with countless   
rooms and five stories, it had an observation tower it the centre which was   
useful for getaways. Anyone who tried to steal anything from it dies or had   
their memories changed or were forced to become one of Voldemorts supporters.  
His supporters were spread worldwide now, even to the Southern Hemisphere   
where a large Island, small populated continent was located. His mansion was  
located at the very top of a hill in the countryside and had few visitors.   
It was isolated, perfect for what Voldemort planned.  
'We shall start small,' he planned, to Frangipani Malfoy, a relation to a   
well-known pureblood Wizarding family, who have been traced back to the days   
of Dynasty III, 'We will start with a few Wizarding alleys in central Europe.'   
'Which ones?' she enquired, pulling out an enchanted map.   
'I should think le Troupes la Floures in France, then onto Kleppe   
Belligsaugen, Switzerland,' suggested Frangipani.  
'Yes…a few small explosions, and several deaths. I should think that is   
sufficient for now.' Voldemorts eyes glittered. He had a malice look on   
his features. 'Yes indeed…'  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Default Chapter Title

A/N: Sorry it took so long!  
I had to write it, and I wanted   
them to be a little longer.  
Thanks for reveiwing me...  
Peace-ya-Jade.  
  
'Look!' Lily shrieked at the Breakfast table, thrusting a paper at James.  
'What? Asked Sirius, Remus and Peter, whom were all coming around to James'   
shoulder to read the article.  
' -Muggles have died in Voldemorts latest attack. In Kleppe Bellingsaugen,   
Switzerland and le Troupes la Floures in France. The list is forty deaths   
high on Wizards and Witches and four on muggles. The Muggles are; Aimee   
Jepoures, Maximilliam Rihgardeaux, Gi-Gi Massenet and Jonah Swergansen, a   
British citizen who is the head of the Police Shock Unit, he was (Swiss   
family, though he comes from Sweden) visiting family. Autopsies have found   
nothing wrong with them, all four of these people had important positions in   
the Muggle world and that is believed to be the link between them. Other than   
these four Muggle deaths, seventy-one injuries were sustained and forty Witch  
and Wizard deaths. Please visit the obituary section for names.'  
'Lily, calm down…it's in France and Sweden' said Sirius, face bleak and pale.  
'These were the only other witch and wizard settlements with less than ten   
Muggles there. Do you know where the only other place is like these two?'   
she demanded, voice high and shrilly with panic.  
'Hogsmeade' James breathed.  
'Yes, Hogsmeade, do you know where this Voldemort will be coming next?' she   
said, blowing her nose.  
'Possibly here, or he could just set his sights lower, and then gradually   
build power…' Remus said, objectively but hopefully.  
'Lily, he wants you to fear him…he might even lie low for a year or so, to   
make people forget him, then come back with a bigger bang.' Sirius said gently,   
not wanting to set her off again.  
'He might not, but you're right, I don't like this Voldemort, Tom Riddle did   
the article say, no not there, up the top, yeah, there'   
'Yeah, Tom Riddle. Let's find out all we can about him, and we will see what   
his weaknesses are and stuff…' said Sirius, not expecting Lily to take it seriously.  
'Yeah!' she said jumping to her feet, 'That's a good idea Sirius, where do you   
think he went to school?'   
'Here, he got the Special Services Award…' Sirius added helpfully.  
'Good. Sirius er-how do you know that?' James said.  
'It's in Hogwarts: A History.' He sighed.  
'Oh, right. Well if he got a special services award, it might be in the trophy   
room. Remus, aren't you coming?'  
'No, I have to go visit mum, she's sick.' He said blankly.  
'Oh, okay. Bye then and say hi to your mum for me!' Sirius said brightly.  
'Okay'  
Later that day, Remus went down to Hagrid's cabin. He went in to say hello.  
'How was yeh firs' couple weeks a' 'Ogwarts?' he said, offering him a plate   
of treacle fudge.  
'No ta, that's fine Hagrid.' He said. 'My first weeks were okay, I guess.   
My favorite teacher is Professor Erb so far.'  
'Oh yeah, tha' Ravelclaw one…she 'ates those Slytherins this year. Yeh've   
got Potions with 'em don't yeh?'  
'Yes, unfortunately' he sighed through his nose.  
'Oh well.' Said Hagrid sympathetically.  
'Well, I was just dropping in. I have to go see my mother…I'll be back soon   
though.' He said.  
'See yeh!' boomed back Hagrid. Remus waved his hand over his shoulder. He   
then walked past Hagrids to a massive tree, a willow, newly planted with the   
foliage dying off a little with the coming of Winter. He went under one of   
the branches and touched the knob in the centre, it stopped aggressively   
swiping at him, just as Dumbledore said. It moved and Remus jumped down the   
tunnel. He kept moving and took off his cloak and watch. He glanced at his   
watch for a moment, squinting to see what the time was in the dim light. He   
followed the tunnel until there was a sign that read; 'The Shrieking Shack'   
and he stopped and waited for Dumbledore to appear. Remus waited five or so   
minutes before Dumbledore came.   
'Ah-Remus! You are to do this every time you are to transform. Come here at   
approximately four o'clock in the afternoon and leave here when you are done,   
at nine o'clock in the morning. Stagger the times slightly and sometimes go   
the day before you transform, so people don't start to put two and two   
together.' Dumbledore winked at him, and disappeared.  
  
*  
  
'The assassinations of the four Muggles was successful my Lord.' Said Brun.  
'Yes, they were, but only just.' Hissed Voldemort. 'How many Muggles saw you?   
Did I or did I not say it was to be as quiet as possible? Or am I, I mistaken?'   
'No, No Lord, but it wasn't easy. Maximillian turned out to be more ah, strong,   
than we had first thought.' He explained meekly.  
'Why? I remember you saying that he was weak and sick, not strong and healthy   
at all.' Voldemort said with silky, angry intensity. 'AND WHAT HAPPENS! HE   
CALLS THE POLICE, HE FIGHTS, HE KILLS ONE OF US! ALL BECAUSE YOU SAID IT WAS   
SAFE!' the Lord raged.  
'I'm sorry s-'  
'SORRY? YOU'RE SORRY? DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL? YOU COULD HAVE BROUGHT   
WHAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR, FOR THE LAST WHO KNOWS HOW MANY YEARS, TO IT'S   
KNEES AND YOU ARE SORRY? YOU ARE THE SORT OF PERSON WHO WOULDN'T GIVE THEIR   
LIFE FOR ME, AS DID GLHKI, YOU ARE THE SORT OF FOLLOWER WHO CHOOSES TO FOLLOW   
PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE POWERFUL, NOT WHEN WEAK, YOU ARE THE SORT OF PERSON I   
CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE IN MY ORGANISATION. ARE . WE. CLEAR?' He thundered,   
continuing to rage, through gritted teeth. 'Kill him.' He said curtly.  
'But Sir, I still got the job done. I still deserve my prize…you promised.'   
He gasped.  
'You shall have a trial, I shall be judge. You are to face execution.' Said   
Voldemort, animosity in his cold, scarlet eyes.   
'But, But that's not fair!' Brun panted.  
'Isn't it? Kill him by physical torture.' Said Voldemort, on the verge of   
laughter.  
'S-Sir please, Sir' he begged.  
'For four hours, torture him to maim. Then let him go in a dark alley. If   
he has the strength to remain alive, then he can keep his life, if he doesn't  
well…' Voldemort instructed.  
'But, sir…I wish nothing more to stay alive and serve you Lord.' Quavered Brun.  
'You have no other wish than to live and leave' thundered Voldemort.  
'N-no Lord-d' he faltered, breaking out in a sweat with tiny beads falling down his face.  
'Yes you do, who do you think controlled Gene when she asked you? Me. Now   
traitor, you shall pay. '  
'Sir, Please!' Brun shrieked.  
'You show nothing but cowardice as you are here, begging for your life. You   
are now no use to me.'  
'Please, put a memory charm on me so I remember no longer. I promise, I   
shall be good.' Brun pleaded.  
'NO!' Voldemort trumpeted. 'You served me faithful once, but a little pain   
and you suddenly didn't know what you were in for…you need to know these   
things…pain beyond pain. If you survive this torture session, you are free   
to go. You may tell the whole world about how Voldemort threatened you, but   
it will only spread more fear. Exactly what I want. Exactly what you don't   
want.' There was a short, terrifying pause. 'Take him out of my sight' hissed Voldemort.  
'Please! No! Lord!' he panted as he was lifted by the waist by a torturer.   
'No Lord, Please I beg of you, Please.' But it was too late. When you go up   
to the mansion, you can hear his screams, echoing around the hills.   
  
*  
Remus had not yet come back from visiting his sick mother, James and Sirius   
were disappointed. He had been their friend ever since they rescued him from   
an angry wolf, guarding her pups. After that, they would sled, muck around   
and play tricks. They were the best of friends, though Sirius could never   
quite understand how Remus read so much, and still lagged behind them in   
classes. Sirius and James were gifted, intellectually and in other ways.   
Sirius, who was, though thin, more solider than James was made for chasing   
the quaffle around the Quidditch pitch. James was built as a seeker, light   
and surprisingly fast. Both had shown talent beyond their years at their   
more suited places on the Quidditch Pitch. Remus, who had no flying talent,   
let alone Quidditch talent, played Muggle games and Chess. He perfected how   
to play certain board games, which rules were rather tangled and complex,   
rather contradictory. Remus, who never really had the nose, or the guts, for  
trouble and mischief, would normally wait around in the Gryffindor Common   
Room, or the dormitory, to see what perils they had got up to and if they got  
caught, who by, the punishment and their excuses. Remus also didn't say how   
long he would be so there was no telling how long his absence may be. Peter,  
who was neglected in the fun, because of their only short background was   
delighted that Remus had gone so that there would be more time for James,   
Sirius and himself to have even more fun than if Remus were there. He was   
wrong, the boys, though friendly and companion-like to him, still weren't used   
to him, his disgusting manners, his very light, high voice which was barely   
audible, and his high giggles, that pitched everyone into laughter. He was   
an outsider. He was never lonely or treated like an outsider though. Sirius  
would leave him, not even realising he was there, but James saw to it that   
Peter was having fun with them, when he was with them. They sat in the   
Common Room, half-heartedly playing exploding snap, which James with his   
Quidditch Seeker reflexes, always won. He had gone to McGonagall, with Sirius,   
about being reserves for the team and try-outs were being held next week,   
third week of term. Sirius and James were excited by this, as if when Remus   
had gone, it was the light house on their lost at sea journey. Sirius had   
finally got bored.  
'Come on, let's go and visit Hagrid.' He said, getting up slowly and stiffly.  
'Yes, let's do that, it may be interesting to get to know someone here better.'   
Agreed James, now up and helping Peter. They exited the Gryffindor tower and  
continued down the stairs.  
'Where do you think you are going?' Ertopsun demanded.  
'We were just going to look at the grounds, it should be alright, we have   
done all of our homework and it's only five o'clock.' Sirius said, glaring   
at the Herbology teacher.  
'Very well' he snapped back, 'please ensure you are back in the building by   
dinner, and no walking into the Forbidden Forest.'   
'Yes sir' simultaneously said the three. They walked along a bit and spottedLily.  
'Do you want to come with us?' said Sirius with a sly, sideward glance at   
James. 'We are going to visit Hagrid.'  
'Oh, okay,' Lily said.  
'Good!' Sirius said cheerfully, looking at James to whole time.  
'Why do you think Hagrid's ten feet tall?' asked Peter, looking nervous.  
'I don't know, the tallest man I've met is six foot, nine!' said Lily.  
'He might be half giant…' said James, looking at Sirius. Their minds worked   
the same way.  
'Yeah! I never thought of that, do you think he would mind if we asked him?'   
said Lily, emerald eyes opened wide.  
'I'm sure he would…' said Sirius darkly.  
'Why?' Lily said blankly.  
Sirius sighed through his nose and James looked at her, dumbfounded.  
'Because there was a huge campaign that giants were evil, and if the Ministry  
of Magic doesn't act soon, we could have them against us in a fight that could   
change the world…' defined Sirius.  
'What fight?' Lily said, eyes concerned and nose crinkled.  
'The fight that you made such a big deal of at breakfast this very morning'   
said James, looking tired and wary.  
'Oh, that one'   
'Yeah, that one' told Sirius, nodding.  
'Voldemort…' said Peter, shivering. 'He gives me the creeps. I want to be   
on the good side, but I'm not like you three, who would die for what they   
believed in. A few minutes of torture and I would be on his side, no trouble.'   
'PETER!' exclaimed the three of them, all in shock. Sirius and James were   
opening and closing their mouths, not knowing what to say, or if they knew   
what to say, their mouths wouldn't work. Lily however had more passionate   
fire in her eyes, she was looking murderous at Peter, who had his shoulders   
scrunched and was wincing, awaiting the ear bashing he was about to receive.  
'PETER PETTIGREW, HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT! THIS IS VOLDEMORT. THE BAD GUY, THE   
ONE WE GIVE OUR LIVES FOR IF IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. You can't honestly   
tell me that you wouldn't do such a thing?' she raved. She continued for a  
little while, about why we should stand up to this guy, why we shouldn't give  
in. Peter flinched every time she stopped to breath and Sirius and James had  
their fingers in their ears, and still could perfectly hear every word she   
was saying. She continued on until they reached Hagrids hut (thank god,   
muttered Sirius under his breath) and they knocked on the door.  
'Who is it?' a big voice bellowed.  
'It's James, Peter, Sirius and I. You know, you told us off at the lake…'   
said Lily.  
'Oh, I remember youse, and young Remus has gone to visit his mother, right?   
And Sirius and young James just got into trouble, a few days back, from Filch,   
and Peter got that awful detention…'enquired Hagrid.  
'Yes, that's us, now can we please come in, it's freezing out here,' pleaded Peter.  
'Oh, right yeh's are.' Said Hagrid cheerfully. 'Tea, treacle fudge?' he offered.  
'Yes please' said Lily, looking thankful for the experience of warmth that t  
ea would bring her.  
'Just some fudge' said Sirius and James together. 'Hey!' said Sirius.  
'An' yeh Pete?' boomed Hagrid.  
'I'll just have a square of fudge thanks er-Harris?'  
'Hagrid.' James corrected.  
'Sorry'  
'That's fine!' he sat down Lily's tea at the small table, stoked the fire and  
sat down in a large armchair facing them, by the fire.   
'Thanks Hagrid.' Said Lily after taking a sip.  
'No probs! How was yeh firs' few weeks at 'Ogwarts going?' he bellowed.  
'Fine'  
'Okay'  
'Terrible.' Four people, three answers and five laughing faces.  
'Who said fine?' asked Hagrid, wiping a tear of laughter away with the hem of  
his sleeve. Sirius and James looked at each other and counted one, two and three.   
'I did. HEY!' it couldn't have been more perfectly planned. They said this   
together and while Lily knew it had been planned, she didn't spoil their fun.   
'I said okay' Lily raised her voice over Sirius and James' laughter.  
'So yeh must've said terrible then, er Paul?' said Hagrid, still laughing.  
'Peter,' he said nodding.  
'Why was yeh first couple o' weeks bad?' Hagrid frowned.  
'I-I had to clean out the t-toilets. It was disgusting!' he squealed,   
flinching at the thought of that night. Hagrid was now laughing so hard   
that he was doubled over on his chair, he wiped another tear of laughter of   
his whiskery face and looked at them.  
'Look at the time!' he said, pointing at the clock above his fire, 'It's almost   
time for yeh dinner!'   
'Yes, er, we must go Hagrid.' Said James.  
'Good to see yehs! Tell me when Remus comes back from visiting his mum!'   
'Good bye now!' Lily said, and the rest of them waved.  
'Thanks for popping in! See yehs!' Called Hagrid but they were already gone,   
and only Sirius and James heard him calling and turned their heads back towards his hut.   
  
They scuttled inside to the Great Hall, and caught the last few people   
filing in. They sat down, Sirius, James and Lily, together and Peter separated   
by a few people and on the opposite side. They looked at him, Sirs laughing,   
Lily concerned and James wearing the face he wears normally, torn between   
laughing and worried.  
'Oh, smell that!' said Sirius, sniffing the air. 'It doesn't smell like   
normal dinner, it smells, grander than that. Where do you suppose the secret  
passage to the Kitchen is?'   
'I don't know, it would be useful to know, because of all those cheery   
Gryffindor house Cups we are going to win, right?!' said Lily brightly with   
mock enthusiasm.   
'Yeah, sure, whatever. Hey, are you guys staying for Christmas?' Sirius enquired.  
'I think so, mum and dad said it was up to me…'  
'I am, going all the way back there, for what? This place is so much cooler   
than home,' said Lily sadly. When she saw the stares on their faces she added;   
'Not that I mind home'  
'Yeah, lets go, I'm full.' Said Sirius.  
'That's a first' said James, signaling Peter as he stood up.  
  
*  
  
The alleyway was dark. It was smoky and smelly. It had garbage cans and   
dumpsters every few steps, and was the back yard to many shops and units.   
It had cats and dogs, strays, prowling around the bins, sniffing, looking for  
anything edible. Brun rolled over onto his stomach and seized everything up.  
He was hurting allover, his face, his sides, his back and had visible scars   
allover him. He was alive. He was mentally hurting as well as physically.   
He attempted to get up, but he wasn't able to. All he managed was to his   
knees, and slowly, he started crawling on all fours. He winced as he moved   
his arms forward, the burns were hot and stung. He persisted though,   
determined to get onto the busy Muggle street and find a port key or something,   
to find someone who could heal him quickly and understood. He finally held   
onto a door handle and read the sign on the door. He felt for his wallet and  
was pleased to find it was still there. He looked again hard at the sign on   
the shop. He saw two of everything, his head spun, his neck was blazing, and  
weak, as if it couldn't support the weight of his cut and burnt head. He   
dreamed of his family, being able to apparate to Majorca once more, and he   
felt an overwhelming surge of strength wash over him. A wizard friend had   
spotted Brun from across the road.   
'Brun, what happened?' he gasped at the sight of him  
'Vol, Voldemort.' He panted. His friend understood at once and grabbed Brun's   
hand. He clapped twice, one hand his, the others Bruns, and they instantly   
were found in the emergency section of a Wizarding Hospital in Britain. He   
grabbed some chocolate and some tea of the bench, and quickly made Brun   
consume some of both. Brun instantly felt the warmth spread over him, right   
to the tips of his toes and to his scalp. He had some tea, and felt a mile better.   
'What happened?' a nurse asked.  
'Tortured,' Bruns friend said, 'by Voldemort.' A gasp was expelled from the   
nurses mouth. She lead him into a room, and then called another nurse. She   
looked after Brun and the original Nurse, Nurse Pomfrey the badge read. She   
lead him into an office and wrote on a yellow piece of parchment. It read:  
  
Dear Ministry of Magic.  
We have just had admittance of a wizard who is named Brun, who was recently   
found, tortured by Voldemort. He is in a delicate state, and as soon as his   
physical injuries have been tendered to, you may question him. Please be   
here by Four O'clock in the morning, by that time, he should be in a   
satisfactory enough condition to speak.  
  
Nurse Pomfrey.  
  



	5. Default Chapter Title

A/N: This is getting a little   
boring isn't it? Oh well, I   
have to finish it. Thanks for  
your reveiws. Review.   
Peace-ya-Jade  
  
'Where is Voldemort hiding now Brun?' Asked the minister of Magic, Jakob Wolffe.  
'In a mansion, it is being sold by er, Bilkov and Brown Real Estate Agents,   
or something like that, it'll have the address, but it is on a hill, and it   
took me four seconds to apparate from there to Daigon Alley. It is white,   
and it had a huge tower in the centre.' Remembered Brun.  
'Does it look like this?' said Jakob, handing him a brochure and pointing   
to an A4 photograph with a white mansion, with a tower in the centre and a   
flag flying proudly..   
'Yes, that is it, Echo Valley.' He muttered.  
'Thankyou for your time, Minister, but it is five O'clock, and Brun must get   
some well deserved rest. He should still be here in the moring, if not, you   
know where this Voldemort was last.' She said crisply, motioning male nurse   
to come and guard Brun.   
'Very well,' Jakob said, pursing his lips, 'thank you for your time Brun and   
I shall be back at around one o'clock.' He exited on his heel of his boot,   
and stormed out of the room, several body wizards followed behind.  
'Here is your dreamless-sleep potion. It will allow you to sleep dreamlessly  
for eight hours. Please drink the whole goblet, I shall be back.' The new   
nurse instructed. He drank the potion and slipped in and out of sleep for   
the next eight hours.  
  
*  
  
'AAAAAARRGH, NO, STOP, PLE-EASE STOP! I BEG YOU, AAH, PLE-EAS-EASE STOP!'   
Brun screamed, quite possibly waking the whole trauma ward up. There was   
some potion forced down his throat and now his screams were silent. The   
potion would wear off shortly, as they were not able to get the whole dosage down.   
'Brun! Brun! Listen to me, I am Nurse Pomfrey, I am here to look after you,   
Brun! Please, desist from yelling. You need to rest, calm down.' Soothed Nurse Pomfrey.  
'Uurgh,where am I?' he asked, now quiet.   
'You are at the trauma ward at St. Eyuenswythes Hospital in London, near   
Daigon Alley. You must be quiet, I can't imagine what sort of shock it's like   
to be tortured, but please, keep you voice down.'   
'He has been drugged, find the nurse who gave him the nightmare potion, and   
quickly, check everything. This cannot be tolerated.' She hissed at a few   
administrative staff and nurses. But it was too late, Agnes Tryranter had   
already slipped out of her uniform cloak, into a normal cloak and was walking  
down Daigon Alley.   
  
*  
  
'Remus! How long were you gone?' said Sirius, seeing his friends return from  
the window. James grunted, now hauling back several food packages and parcels,   
each addressed to someone.  
'Four days, it took her a long time to get over the illness, and doctors say   
it could return at any moment, particularly around the full moon, who knows   
why, but she insisted on sending us all something back with me.' He said,   
eating a turkey pie, which had been heated with a portable fire.   
'Well, it's good to have you back,' said Sirius, fumbling through the food   
parcels, searching for the one that had his name on it. 'Aah, my favourites,  
how did your mum know?' Sirius ripped open his parcel, and started attacking   
it straight away.  
'I don't know, I guess she remembers when I had my birthday party, remember?'  
shrugged Remus.  
'I guess' nodded Sirius, spraying James and Remus with crumbs.  
'What did you give Peter?' asked James.  
'Just some cookies, I didn't know what he liked, but everyone likes cookies,   
right!' Remus said, brushing the crumbs off his hands.  
'And Lily?' inquired James holding up her parcel and shaking it carefully.  
'I don't know…It could be anything.' Said Remus, but he knew well what was   
in that parcel and James would get mad if he knew.  
'Ah, that was nice' said Sirius, looking what the little remains of what he   
had eaten.  
'You've already eaten most of it!' scolded Lily from behind them, snatching   
the parcel out of James' hands and thanking Remus. She opened it then and   
Remus looked horrified.  
'What is this?' said Lily, opening the bottle and sniffing, screwing up her   
nose tightly.  
'Oh, that's er-' Remus fumbled.  
'Er, how interesting. What is it?' demanded Lily.  
'You drink it.' Said Remus. Remus pulled Sirius down as she sipped, her eyes  
closed, as it burned them, and her nose pinched. Sirius and Remus lay flat   
on the ground and Remus was whispering furiously at Sirius, trying to get him  
to stay down and watch. 'It's a love potion, weak and long lasting, this particular   
one isn't banned at Hogwarts, so we are safe unless Lily dobs on us, me.'  
'Good thinking!' said Sirius, 'I would have done it myself, but I can't access   
all the things needed.'  
'I know, so that's why I did it at home, it should be taking effect about   
now…' they lay flat on the ground, behind a bush, waiting for it to take effect.   
'Weird' said Lily.  
'What?' James asked.  
'Well, this drink, whatever it is, feels weird, all mushy.' She explained.  
'May I?' said James, not bothering for a response and taking the bottle out   
of her hands. He smelt it very closely, rage etching on his face, but he   
couldn't be sure. James drank some and instantly felt the effects.  
'Oh Lily.' James said, not needing much of a push to succumb to his passion for her.  
'What?' she demanded.  
'It's, this, is a love potion.' He said, pointing at the bottle.  
'Oh, I'm going to absolutely kill Sirius and Remus' said Lily in a furious whisper.  
'Lets play their game, We'll make it look like we are kissing-' a mortified   
look from Lily, 'but we won't' he added, seeing her face, 'and we will play   
chess in the common room, and eat dinner together, separate from them, and   
do our studies together. If they follow us down the corridor, we will talk,   
in very loud voices so they can hear us, about how good you look and stuff   
like that.' He planned.  
'What an excellent idea! Two to tango so to speak.' Lily breathed.  
'Two to tango?' said James, obviously baffled.  
'A muggle phrase' quickly explained Lily.  
'Oh, so you kiss me' said James, now looking nervous and uncomfortable.  
'No, you kiss me!' hissed Lily.  
'I wasn't supposed to take the love potion. It makes sense Lily.' Said James.  
'Yeah, I suppose.' Lily mumbled.  
'Okay, we open our mouths, face the other way, because I bet my life they are  
behind those bushes, and move our heads opposite sides. Like looking at our   
teeth, and I'll come up and touch your hair, and you'll hold my other hand.'   
Plotted James.  
'Okay, one, two, three.' They did this for a few seconds, then James touched   
her hair and Lily took his hand. 'Her hair is soft, like satin' he thought privately.  
'His hands are so warm and his grip is so firm' thought Lily. 'And his teeth,  
are perfect, not even a trace of a filling or plaque.' Thought Lily.  
'Her face lights up when she smiles' thought James. 'I want to kiss her for real…'  
'I don't want to pretend to kiss anymore, I want to really kiss him.' James   
leaned in a little further, and so did Lily, they were about to really kiss   
when there was a victorious sound coming from behind those bushes.  
'I told you it would work!' said Remus.  
'I never even doubted you old chap.' Sirius said cheerfully.  
'Oi!' said Remus, twenty feet away.   
'Look guilty.' James hissed in her ear, slowly pulling away from her, looking   
at her the whole time. James had his arm around her neck and tickled it.   
Lily giggled and blushed, which added to the very real effect.  
'Love birds at last' sighed Sirius.  
'I must thank you Remus, I have the best thing in my life.' Said James,   
looking at Lily, he tickled her neck again and she blushed in vain trying to   
keep her giggles under control.  
'About time too!' chuckled Remus.  
'Lily's mine' said a voice from behind them. There was Serevus Snape, standing   
alone, with his friends standing at the exit of the castle.  
'No she isn't!' A volcano exploded beside James before he could even open his  
mouth. 'Look here Serevus Snape, if I hear anything about me being yours,   
you better watch your back, because you will be flying so fast, this time   
you wish you would have a broomstick.' Spat Lily.  
Snape touched her face tauntingly with his fore finger.   
'Dear, sweet Lily, so innocent.' He drawled. 'Too bad you are a mudblood, it   
could have been beautiful between us.'  
Lily was shaking with rage: 'How dare you, the only thing you would consider   
being beautiful in a relationship is yourself. You think you are so good,   
when you're not. I bet you end up supporting Voldemort, just for a kick.   
Get out of my sight.' She said, dripping with disgust.  
'Very well, mudblood.' He sneered. Then there was a thump. Sirius and James,   
both wanting a piece of him, tackled him to the ground. Serevus was lucky.   
Professor Erb walked past them at that moment when Sirius was raising his balled   
fist, moving in to strike, when he was pulled up into the air by seven foot tall Erb.  
'Sirius and James, why are you fighting him, aside from the mere fact that he   
is a cheeky git and he is a Slytherin that deserves it?'  
'Because he called Lily a mudblood and he touched her and threatened her!'   
James exploded. Professor gasped.   
'You' she said sternly, pointing at Snape, 'over here.'   
She pulled him about five feet away, and was ranting and pointing. Fuming in fact.  
'Dismissed.' She yelled, he bowed his head meekly and scuttled off to who   
knows where.  
'James, Sirius and Lily, you too Remus.' She said, gesturing them over to her.  
'Now, even though house points were deducted from Slytherin and he has   
detentions for the next two weeks, you also must be punished.' Sirius opened   
his mouth, but Lily jabbed him in the ribs.  
'I will give you and James detentions, one,' she said, looking at Sirius.   
'And award you twenty house points each. It was a noble thing you did, but   
even though I am rewarding you, I am not encouraging you. Any questions?'   
she said calmly.  
'Yes, I have one…why are you rewarding us?' asked Sirius, bamboozled.   
'Because even though it wasn't directed at you, you took offence, you stood   
up for your friend at your own personal risk. It was a kind act you did for   
Lily, and it is nice to see you had a reason to hurt him, not for the fun of   
it. Also because I don't tolerate bigotry and racism, it offends me and it's   
good to see people as young as yourselves are offended by it too.' She explained.   
'I am going to put the house points under Remus, Peter and Lily's names though,   
because once word gets around about this, I'll be skinned if Professor McGonagall   
finds out the real reason that I gave you house points today.' She smiled and   
winked at them and then walked off.  
'Wow, she is the coolest teacher!' said Sirius, opened mouthed in awe.  
'Not for Slytherins.' Remus pointed out.  
'I guess. What's a mudblood?' Lily asked.  
'You don't know what a mudblood is?' Sirius gazed at her, incredulously.   
'No, I know it has something to do with purity, but I'm not sure…' she said   
coyly, slipping her hand into James and nudging him.  
'Yeah, Snape called you a mudblood because your parents are muggle, one of my  
parents is muggle, and she doesn't seem to care that my father is a wizard,   
she was delighted by the fact even.' James said, looking at Lily.  
'Oh, right' she said.  
'But we don't think of you at all that way, you are a witch, you are a good  
(y-two-shoes) witch, and you are no different to us except.' Sirius looked at  
Remus, James groaned in laughter, he knew what was coming.  
'For your little knowledge in Wizarding terms.' He finished. It wasn't funny,   
but James knew it was coming, and what he thought Sirius would say was identical   
to what he said.  
'End of terms soon, Christmas!' said Remus changing the subject.  
'Yeah!' said Lily, opening her eyes wide with mock eagerness. 'It's only,   
what, six weeks away!'  
'Yeah, but still…' said Remus, laughing with the rest.  
'I know, I know.' Said Lily, flapping her free hand.  
'What have we got planned for tonight, after our detention?' said Sirius,   
winking at James.  
'I don't know, what about we uh, go and let out one of the house elves? No we  
have done that, uh, look for Peeves the Poltergeist perhaps? Or what about   
one of the ghosts?' Sirius said, talking to himself.  
'What about we set off dung bombs with my invisibility cloak that no ones   
supposed to know I have?' suggested James.  
'Yeah! I have a few good ones, or maybe we can just time them to go off, I   
wonder how we'll do that though. I wonder if Peeves can see through invisibility   
cloaks? Said Sirius, visibly cheering up.  
'I shouldn't think so, it's the noise that's the problem. It don't mask the   
sound of our footsteps, so we'll wear socks.'   
'Okay.'  
'Do you want any food from the kitchen Lily or Remus, we are going again tonight,   
we found out how!' boasted Sirius.  
'How?' asked Lily.  
'Oh, I'm not telling you yet, maybe if you ask James enough, he might, he   
always was a sucker.' Teased Sirius, not knowing how far from the truth he   
was. Lily and James looked at each other, privately sniggering.  
  
*  
  
'You know, I think the ministry may be on to us…' drawled Voldemort.  
'They may be. If Brun got to a hospital, a Wizard hospital, within the first   
half and hour, he may have been in a fit enough state to talk.  
'I doubt that…but still, if you had done the job well, he shouldn't be able   
to talk.' Voldemort caged.  
'I have, I assure you. If he didn't die, he will have scars and burns and   
dreams for the rest of his life, mental you could say.' Said the torturer, Dolpur.   
'Yes, Dolpur, you have never done the job, peacefully, so I should need not   
doubt your integrity now.' Said Voldemort, looking now out the window.   
Enjoying the view of trees and hills, observing owls and birds, the grey,   
gloomy sky seemed to add to the atmosphere. There was something niggling at   
Voldemort, something just catching his eye, something suspicious. He didn't   
know what it was, but he didn't mind. Not letting it bother him, he went on talking.  
'Tom Marvolo Riddle, what a name.' He said angrily.  
'What is wrong with it?' Dolpur asked apprehensively.  
'What isn't wrong with it?' he retorted back. 'It is the old me, the good   
me. Me, once Head Boy at Hogwarts, once the person that everyone wanted to   
be, to have or to be around. The envy of every person who came into my life.  
Now I am the opposite of that, the one every person shall fear. Everyone will   
learn to fear my name, no one will be free from me, and once I have them in my   
sights, they will not live life for long. I will be the greatest dark wizard  
in centuries. I aspire to.'   
'And you will, you will achieve everything you dreamed of Lord.' Dolpur said.  
'Will I be everything I wanted…Will I be more?' wondered Voldemort.  
'Your rise to power began long ago Lord' said Dolpur, sucking up.   
'Fetch the snake, would you?' said Voldemort, now out of wondering.  
'As you wish,' he bowed himself out of the room, and went to fetch Voldemorts  
taipan. He went into the nursery, where Voldemort had several exotic snakes,  
and got Voldemorts favourite, a three-foot taipan snake, which had to be   
apparated into the country. He returned, looking scared at the snake, and   
gratefully handed it over to Voldemort.   
'I really wish for a Basilisk, but I'm afraid I would die, every time I   
summoned it.' Sighed Voldemort, a little pity in his eyes.  
'Isn't that is what's in the Chamber of Secrets? At Hogwarts?' asked Dolpur.  
'Yes, My how did you know about that?' asked Voldemort.  
'I was there at the time, at Hogwarts, I heard that Tom Riddle, you, had   
found out who had done opened it, but Lord, it was you all along!' he said.   
Eyes widned with a mixture of amazement, pride, fear and joy.   
'It killed my girlfriend, you did me a huge favour my Lord! She wanted me to  
propose to her, I didn't want to marry her! Thank you Lord!' he explained   
excited. Voldemort laughed, and then looked at the snake adoringly.   
'I need its venom for a potion, would you kindly take it back to Babal for   
it to be milked.' He instructed, turning his scarlet eyes toward Dolpur.   
'Yes, Lord, anything Lord.' He said, taking the snake from Voldemort in a panic.   
'Oh and Dolpur!' called Voldemort, as Dolpur exited the room.  
'Yes lord?' he asked, skidding back into the all white room.  
'Can you call Xenia Snape for me?' he said.  
'Yes, Lord, what do you want me to ask?'   
'Just tell her to come, with Frangipani Malfoy.' He notified.   
'As you wish' he bowed out of the room, shuddering as the snake sidled down   
his cloak sleeve.  
  
  
  
  



	6. Default Chapter Title

A/N; Ta, your reviews   
are what's keeping me writing.  
I feel guilty, coz I want to  
stop, but I can't, you know.  
Obligations, gee. Well,   
Well, uh...  
Peace-ya-Jade  
P.S Please forgive me, it gets even more confusing!!  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.  
  
It was a bleak morning for the Ministry of Magic, they had sent spies with   
invisibility cloaks left, right and centre and still hadn't been able actually   
spot Voldemort.   
  
Wizards or witches certainly inhabited the mansion and they were performing magic.   
  
There had only been one sighting of a human, a wizard with blond greying hair.   
He was carrying a snake to what looked to be a greenhouse. The witch who had  
spotted this, Madeline, was carrying an owl and had managed to record some   
hard proof of inhabitants.   
  
There was also an apparation to there by two people, one with very pale skin and white   
blond hair and another with dark dazzling hair which was curled in bobby, perky ringlets,   
it had only been a fleeting glimpse and hadn't been recorded.   
  
It was suspicious and the Ministry were tackling with Muggles to get a warrant to search the place.   
  
*  
End of term was approaching fast, only a week to go now. James and Sirius   
almost ran down to the Gryffindor House Post board, made of scarlet velvet   
with gold edging.   
  
GRYFFINDOR QUIDDITCH SECOND RESERVES.  
  
Seeker: Kim Wong. (Fourth Year)  
Chasers:Michael Gresham (Third Year)  
Matthew Byron (Fifth Year)  
Kathleen Greene (Fifth Year)  
Beaters: Arthur Weasley (Sixth Year)  
Paul Piper (Fourth Year)  
Keeper: Jude Long.(Third Year)  
  
  
GRYFFINDOR QUIDDITCH FIRST RESERVES.  
  
Seeker: James Potter (First Year)  
Chasers: Sirius Black (first Year)   
Patrick Thomas (Third Year)  
Eleanor Stevens (Fourth Year)  
Beaters: Cate Cahoon (Fifth Year)  
Jule Nimble (Fourth Year)  
Keeper: Joel Smythe (Second Year)   
  
Note: Only the team is able to train, or if reserves are called.   
Training starts First Week of Second Term for the Team, when called.  
  
  
'We made it!' Sirius yelled, over the moon. 'Gimme five man!'   
They slapped hands, then headed back to the Gryffindor common room, up quiet corridors   
they had never seen.  
  
'Where are we?' said James.  
  
'Dunno, open a door, not that one this one.' Sirius instructed.  
  
'It's a room full of dolls, like a bedroom.' Described James, 'It has blue   
walls, and lime green carpet,' he said, his voice raising slightly.  
  
'Let me see!' said Sirius importantly, as if he could solve the whole thing.  
  
James, of course, was tricking, it was really a lovely room, with a warm fire,   
it was cosy and it reminded him of Hagrids hut.   
  
Sirius stepped in, eyes wide and cautions, he was inching his wand out of his  
cloak pocket.   
  
In an instant he was thrown out of the room, and landed, opened out, splat on  
the wall.   
  
The door sealed up, and was back to being a corridor wall.  
  
'Ow,' Sirius groaned, low and long.  
  
'You shouldn't have gone in.' James laughed and scowled, looking down on his   
hurt friend,he offered him a hand. Sirius, gratefully taking it, pulled   
himself up and brushed himself off.  
  
'I didn't know that!' he howled in defence.  
  
'Okay, okay,' James put his hands up, as a motion of surrender, 'What do you   
think it was anyway?'  
  
'I don't know, would it have let you in?' Sirius looked bewildered. He held   
his back and every time he inhaled, it looked as though it was done so   
painfully. He flinched and gasped.   
  
'We must get off to our last day of classes!' said James.  
  
'Aah, freedom, tomorrow, tonight! We must do something in order to celebrate…'  
  
'Yes, we'll plan later.' James nodded and pointed them in the right direction.  
  
'So you and Lily still-er-together?' Sirius asked.  
  
'Yes, we are, I'm meeting her in the common room, later.' He said nodding.  
  
'Ooh, can I come?' Sirius queried.  
  
'No, you may not. I'll be putting a silence spell on us anyway, just for a   
little bit, so no one can over hear.' He said proudly, thinking back to the   
thousands of spell books he looked in. It was in a charm book, Lily was using   
it to research an essay that Professor Casein gave them.   
  
'Ooh, why can't I join in?' he said, looking mock hurt.   
  
James simply gave him a withering look.  
  
*  
  
Desolate, disheartening landscape surrounded them. They were in a world in   
which they didn't belong. The trees, once alive and lush were now reduced to   
bare, dry wood. The once resourceful river looked murky and grey.   
  
The sky was dark and thunderous, stormy black clouds laced with white. A bolt of   
lightning cracked its way across the sky, the clouds fluoresced purple. The   
clouds hid the night from them, an eerie green light was drowning them,   
soaking them, even though it was night.   
  
More lightning, this time a delicate, less powerful bolt ran its way across the clouds.   
  
There, a sole human there,not knowing that she had company, she looked across the dark purple sky.   
She squinted into her viewfinder, hoping to catch a split second of lightning once more.   
  
Her un-known company swanned silently towards her, cleverly hidden from view.   
  
They approached her, no sound coming from their feet, a tall man, with   
menacing scarlet eyes, wore a harsh expression.   
He looked at her, wanting to touch her, but something held him back.   
  
The photographer, a young strawberry-blonde coloured hair, nearly at the   
small of her rigid and stiff back, was a girl from the town of Little Hangelton,   
now living in what they called the Riddle House, had some information, not   
realising it, that Voldemort didn't want out in the open and some data that   
he needed to get stronger.   
  
The young witch, by the name of Jean, was working for a muggle corporation, capturing   
beautiful, sorrowful or inspiring moments by the means of film.   
  
Xenia Snape teetered along, moving no more than an inch at a time, slowly made her way over to Jean.   
  
She tapped Jean on the shoulder. Jean spun around, reaching into her jacket   
and pulled out a wand.   
When she saw who it was, she instantly desisted, not knowing one of her best friends was about to   
betray her, selling her out to Voldemort.   
  
'Jean! Your boss told me you were here! I apparated, I need to tell you   
something, somewhere a little less, uh-loud.' She yelled, over the sounds of thunder.  
  
'Okay, I'll finish up here then.' Jean nodded, looking around her.   
Something cold touched her heart, as it often did when danger was near.   
  
Xenia gave the others the signal to go, and they returned to Voldmorts secluded hideout.   
  
Xenia helpfully dragged out the tripod case and started packing it up.   
It was heavy and dusty, most likely from the arid conditions surrounding them.   
  
She swiftly folded it up and slotted it into its official black case, zipped it up   
and shouldered it, adjusting the strap twice because of her looming height over Jean.   
  
'Ready?' Xenia asked, somewhat impatiently.  
  
'Yes, where are we going?' wondered Jean loudly.  
  
'Follow me.' Was all Xenia said. Xenia clapped twice over her free shoulder   
and Jean followed a split second later.   
They landed in a large grey and white room, with a table made up as a blanketless   
bed, with only white, stained sheets on its padded, grey surface.   
  
There were large, windows, with no glass in them.   
The room had a high ceiling and a table next to the bed had two, steely looking   
cases resting on its stained mahogany surface.   
  
'Lay down, you look tired.' Xenia gestured the bed, looking motherly and kindly   
towards Jean.   
What false pretences sighed Xenia privately. Xenia stroked her former friends matted,   
strawberry-blond hair and looked at her, almost patronizingly.   
  
'What have you done Jean!' she exclaimed, her voice high and shrilly, looking  
into her friends glasses and seeing a woman, jet-black hair, swooped back into   
a large, elaborate twist. Glittering, aware black eyes, darting around and   
rosy cheeks on her pale, white un-exposed skin looking back at her.   
  
It was Xenia.   
  
Her friend had bewitched herself to sleep.   
Xenia thought quickly, scanning her mind for the counter-curse.   
  
'Of course' murmured Xenia, all rage lost. 'Restus Desistis' she murmered,   
wand pointing at her friends torso.   
  
Jean woke up, head spinning.   
  
'Lastos' Xenia murmured again, making her counter-curse last until she again reversed it.   
  
Voldemort entered the room with a small snake wrapped between his fingers   
and Dolpur by his side. Scarlet, harsh eyes bore down on Jean.   
She screamed, she knew who he was. She trembled and begged for him to simply put a memory   
curse on her, but that wouldn't do.   
  
She asked, pleaded, for Veritaserum, not torture. But this was the mental   
torture, she didn't realise it, but she was causing herself sever distress.  
  
'Will you answer our questions free from lies?' Voldemort asked, a frosty look in his eyes.  
  
'Yes, I swear it.' Jean panted.  
  
'Fetch me some Veritaserum please. Make it snappy, and some water.'   
  
'Here you are sir, how many drops in the water?' Dolpur asked.  
  
'Five.' He sentenced.  
  
'Five? Isn't that a little strong?' gasped Dolpur.  
  
'Would you like to torture yourself?' snapped Voldemort.   
  
'As you wish.' Dolpur obeyed, squeezing five drops of transparent liquid into   
the goblet of water.   
  
'What is your name?' asked Voldemort.   
  
'Jean Oman.' She replied, looking blank, sitting up completely rigid and straight.  
  
'Good. Who do you work for?' he inquired.  
  
'The Ministry of Magic as a spy against Tom Riddle, otherwise known as Voldemort.   
I also work as a Muggle photographer.' She replied no sooner had the question  
had been expelled from his mouth.  
  
'Where are your leads?' he snapped, getting more irritated by the second.  
  
'We have reason to believe that Voldemort, or Tom Riddle, is hiding out in   
a mansion in Fair Glen Valley.' She supplied promptly.  
  
'Kill her, I have no other intentions for her now…' he snapped.  
  
'As you wish, by what means?' said Dolpur.  
  
'Any you please.' Said Voldemort, stomping out of the room.  
  
*  
  
'Muta Personaar' muttered James by the fire in the Gryffindor common room,   
holding his wand above himself and Lily. The book had said that it takes two  
or three minutes to take full effect and during this time, had to think about  
the person they wished to communicate with.   
  
James thought about Lily, Lily thought about James.   
  
James was startled as a voice floated into his head;   
  
'I wonder if it's working yet?'  
  
James nodded prolifically at Lily, who had caught James's most recent thoughts.  
  
'This is weird, different don't you think?' said Lily.  
  
'Some sort of ESP, telepathy.' mused James.  
  
'Yeah, so, what is so important that we need this spell for?' demanded Lily.  
  
'Well, we have to plan our next move against Sirius and Remus and Peter, do   
we tell them we have been playing them all along, or do we just sit back and   
do nothing or do we do something even more disgusting?'  
  
'Uh, I was thinking, we could sneak out, just to the common room with the   
invisibility cloak on, and say we are going to the astronomy tower, together.'   
  
'When, tonight?' James thought.  
  
'Yeah,' cast Lily.  
  
'Okay, once this wears off, you'll come with me, holding hands, rather, making   
it look like we are holding hands, I'll get the invisibility cloak out and put   
it in my robes pocket, and we'll say we are going now, or when we get to that  
stage, and we'll sneak back in the common room, and spy on Sirius, Remus and   
Peter. We'll have to go in when the next person does, because if you open the   
door and no-one comes in, or goes out, it looks odd. '  
  
'Okay, let's go.'   
  
'We still have five more minutes though.' James thought, checking his watch.  
  
'Alright.' Thought Lily.   
  
'Okay, you open your mouth and see if you can talk, try and blush now, to   
show them I said something corny.' James sent to Lily.  
  
'Okay, I'll say, yes James, me too, okay?'   
  
'Yes James, me too' the words met Sirius, Remus and Peters ears, much to their delight.   
  
'Let's go.' James said, looking at Lily who was working hard at blushing.   
  
Sirius was walking up to them.  
  
'Where do you think you're going at this time of night!?' he said, with his   
nose pinched, trying to scold them in a motherly way.  
  
'To the astronomy tower, it's a clear night, and we will look at the stars.'   
James said, dripping with charm. Lily didn't need any assistance to blush this   
time; flushing purple.   
  
'Ooh, James is taking ickle Lil' out on an excursion of passion.' Sirius bothered.  
  
'Right. Whatever you reckon.' James nodded, slipping Lily's hand into his.  
  
'Bye Bye, see you in the morning, no classes, so you can do it a few times if  
you like!' Sirius called to their backs.   
  
Once the door was shut and they were certainly out of earshot, they burst into delighted laughter.   
Lily accidentally snorted, and that reeled them into more laughter.   
  
Finally managing to get up the marble staircase to James's dormitory, he opened the door,   
allowing Lily to go in first, then followed. Lily looked around, telling him the differences   
between their dorms.   
  
James searched and dug in his trunk for a little while, before finding what he was looking for.   
A cloak, sheer and silvery. It shimmered in as the light ran over it.   
  
James' hand was invisible underneath it.   
  
He threw it over himself, doing a rough job of covering his tall body   
and lifted up one side, gesturing verbally, for Lily to come and stand next   
to him, under the cloak.   
  
'When I was eight or so, my parents gave it to me. It was useful for watching   
television in dads room. I would sneak in, and stand in the wardrobe, with   
it an inch open. Later when he fell asleep, I would sneak out. I used to   
think it was an invincibility cloak, not an invisibility cloak.' James chuckled   
softly, remembering his previous years and wriggling so that his feet were   
completely covered. 'Let's go.'   
  
'So what are we going to do?' Lily asked, not sure of the details.  
  
'We are going to enter the common room and sit behind the couch that Sirius,   
Remus and Peter are sitting on and listen to what they say about us. We have  
only been gone a few minutes, so they still should be gossiping.' James explained.  
  
'Okay.' She said, thinking it over. 'Can I see you?' she asked. Lily had   
her eyes clamped shut and her nose screwed up for no reason what so ever.  
  
'Yeah! We can see each other, I mean we are right next to each other.' He said,   
thinking why she didn't realise that they could see each other. They reached  
the deep, carved wooden door that was the entry to the common room.   
  
They heard a group of people walking towards the door behind them. They prepared themselves   
to go quickly inside.   
  
'-Let's go see what they are up to in the astronomy tower, would they have   
gone to use the schools telescopes or would they have gone to collect their   
own first?' said the voice of Remus from behind the door.   
  
James thought quickly.  
  
'Look like you are going down to your dormitory because we are getting our   
telescopes, stop to talk to them, buy me some time. I'll meet you at the top  
of this staircase.' He hissed into her ear, spraying some spit into it, but   
she didn't mind.   
  
She slipped herself from underneath the cloak and went up about ten or twelve feet.   
James ran up the stairs, going two at a time. He got to the dormitory at top speed,   
he could hear people waking up the stairs.  
  
He bunched up the cloak and shoved it in the compartment where it belonged.   
He was reaching in to look for his telescope when the door opened.   
He licked his lips, making them look a little redder than usual.  
  
'So, you didn't go straight to the astronomy tower, eh?' said Sirius with a   
wink.   
  
Peter giggled.  
  
'No, we decided to ah…well we didn't decide, it more or less just happened,   
Lily has just gone down to get her telescope, we decided to look at the stars   
at the window in the corridor.' James mumbled, desperately trying to blush.   
  
'Not to worry, just invite her in here for a game of confessions…' said Sirius,   
on the verge of breaking a rib from trying to look serious.  
  
'Yeah!" said Remus, brightening up.  
  
'Uh oh' Peter whispered, immediately sobering up.   
  
A knock came from the door.  
  
'James?' a female voice called through the door.  
  
'Yes Lily, come in, it's open.'   
  
'Okay.' And the door opened with a soft creak, a cold draught immediately   
entered the room.  
  
'We are going to have a game of challenge or confess…' Sirius said cheerfully, inviting her onto James' bed, where they were all sitting.   
  
'Who wants to go first?' Peter said, almost chewing his fingertip.  
  
'I'll ask you, Lily' said Sirius, glee in his eyes.  
  
'Okay, fire away then,' she said, more bravely and confident than she felt.  
  
'Challenge or confess…?'   
  
'Confess,'   
  
'Oooh, okay, uh, er, what is the most boring subject at Hogwarts?' he asked.  
  
'Herbology, or maybe flying.' Lily was torn between the two, she hated   
Herbology and the evil Etropsun, but she loved flying class, it was boring   
because they weren't able to do much more than fly around the grounds.   
  
'I like flying!' said Peter.  
  
'Yeah, it wasn't your question…' Sirius bored down a look at Peter from under his brow.  
  
'Okay, I get to ask one of you know.' Lily said cheerfully, glancing at each   
one surrounding her. Her green eyes finally settled on Remus, she formulated  
a question in her mind.  
  
'Challenge or confess, Remus?'  
  
'Confess.'  
  
'Okay, why did you give me that love potion?' she asked, caging Remus in.   
If he gave the real reason Lily and James would be mad, if he gave them a lie,   
Lily and James would be mad.   
  
'For a few reasons' he said slowly, obviously thinking. 'Because you were wasting   
your time denying that you didn't like each other.' He said, Lily caught James's   
eye, and quickly blushed.   
  
'Okay, now you ask someone something,' Lily instructed.  
  
'Confess or challenge? Peter,' Remus asked.  
  
'Ch-Challenge' he squeaked, quickly returning to his fingertip.   
  
'What can Peter do?' Remus looked around at the group: Peter looking terrified,   
Lily scowling, James thoughtful, Sirius formulating plans.   
  
'He can go up to Etropsun and pull out his tongue and blow a big fat raspberry   
in his face…or he could chase Peeves around, or he can turn all the toilet   
seats different colours…' Sirius rattled on and on.  
  
'He could go into the girls dormitory…' said Lily.  
  
'And do?' asked Remus.  
  
'He could fly, hover outside the window and knock on it…' said Lily, who   
obviously hadn't thought about the rest of the dare.  
  
'Yeah!' all except Peter and Lily exclaimed.  
  
'Okay, we'll do that tomorrow, remember someone. Now Peter, ask James or me,something.'  
  
'O-okay.' he quavered, looking from Sirius to James and back again. Sirius leaned over and   
whispered something in Peter's ear. Peter giggled as Sirius leaned over to tell Remus.  
  
'Confess or Challenge?' he asked in between great fits of giggles.  
  
'Challenge.' James said, instantly regretting it.  
  
'I dare you to-' he stopped, and started giggling, uncontrollably. Finally   
after a few slaps from Sirius and Remus, he managed to control them again.   
'-To kiss Lily, I'll time you.'   
  
Lily and James looked at each other, had they   
known that they were playing them or did they just want to see it again?   
They looked reluctantly at each other, then to the people surrounding them.  
  
'Okay' said Peter, more giggles, 'One, two, three' James and Lily took a deep  
breath, looked at themselves, with deep panic. They leaned in, Lily shuffled  
on her knees closer. Timidly they leaned in, there was no way to possibly fool   
them so close. Their lips met, not moving, just kneeling there, with their   
lips connected, shooting furious looks at whomever they could see.   
Sirius grabbed both or their heads by the crown and started swaying them.   
Sirius was enjoying this. He let of red sparks from his wand and drew them in a heart shape.   
James, overcome by the feeling of finally kissing Lily, startedto become more  
comfortable and he leaned in further, softly sliding his lips over hers.   
  
They finally pulled apart, after what seemed like eternity, both blushing   
furiously. Lily fiddled with her hair, un-able to look at James. James never   
took his eyes of her, not even for a moment, and habitually tried to flatten   
his hair. James tuned in to the conversation surrounding him.  
  
'-forty six seconds…' Peter said, red cheeked and voice high.  
  
'You have no reason to be blushing' James growled, his voice hoarse.  
  
'Yeah Peter!' said Lily, chancing a look at James. James caught her furtive   
glance, and instantly, Lily blushed deeper red.  
  
'Do you wanna do it again, Jamsie Wamsie? Do you wanna give ickle Lily-poo   
anover ickle smacker? Sirius teased, putting on a baby voice.   
  
(how is it, when people talk to babies, they put on a baby voice???)   
  
Sirius clamped Lily and James's heads together. Sirius suddenly gasped and   
let go, nursing his shin. He scowled ferociously at Lily, who was giggling.  
Peter was exploding, not able to breathe and his laughter so high and fast with   
stubborn, wild giggles. Remus was chuckling, looking at the brilliant, purple   
black bruise forming on Sirius' left leg.   
Lily laughed, picked up her telescope, which was laying at the foot of James's   
bed, dusted off her hat and let herself out, James followed, walking her out.  
  
'Bye!' they called. James got up and walked her to her dorm.  
  
'Sorry Lily, I shouldn't have chosen challenge…' he mumbled.   
  
'It's okay' she said, eyes glinting in the pale light of the corridor, she   
mustered up the courage to eye him, green eyes shining. She smiled, a coy   
smile, it showed her dimples on that calm, glazed face.  
  
'I better get going…' said James. Lily leaned in, pecking James on the cheek.   
James looked surprised, pleased, even exited.   
  
I never thought he liked me that much… thought Lily.   
  
'I'm glad you chose challenge' she murmured to his disappearing back,   
striding jauntily down the wooden boards up to the staircase. He looked back,   
not expecting her to still be there, but she was. He smiled at her and waved,   
placing his hands behind his head, he set off, up the staircase, to his own dormitory.  
  
That night, while Sirius, Remus and Peter were all whispering about the events   
of that night, hissing at each other their opinions of what happened, James   
felt alone, completely alone, in a world full of everything to do with-  
  
  
'Lily. Hmm…the boy has a weakness.'   
Voldemort licked his lips and fiddled with his fingers, knotting them and plaiting them, entwining them together.   
  
'Why exactly do you want him on your side?' asked Dolpur.  
  
'So he isn't against me, I can't make it anymore explicit than that.'   
  
'He is a simple boy? Have you seen something in the Rune prophecies about   
him? An inquisitive Dolpur continued to ask questions.  
  
'He is powerful, not scared of things, except for emotions, he wants to fight  
me. If he does, and I do not win, I fear it would be the end of me. Once he  
is older, even a few years older, he could become like that fool Dumbledore.   
He is strong, he will fight. I must make him resist.'  
  
'Why?' Dolpur looked blank, Voldemort, irritated, snapped;  
  
'Did I not make it clear enough for you? He will be an auror with force   
enough to finish me, he could be my down fall. If you don't understand that   
by now, maybe you are worthless to me.' Voldemort fumed, his nostril slits   
pinching in and out, with his, short annoyed breaths.   
  
'Oh.'   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Default Chapter Title

A/N;He does it, yes he finally does it!  
James,all conquering(sort off) James  
finally asks Lily out....  
  
With Christmas fast approaching, only days left to go, the Great Hall was   
being decorated, people leaving to spend the holidays with their families and  
that usual Christmas mist and chatter was spreading thick and fast through   
Hogwarts. It wasn't hysteria, but it was getting out of hand; people not   
concentrating during class, even Etropsuns, he was devastatingly austere and   
gave big punishments, but it looked as though the Voldemort controlled   
professor wasn't able to grip his class as people mingled around the greenhouse,   
chattering and commenting on what they requested for Christmas. The corridors   
looked magnificent with streams of ivy, holly and mistletoe running down them,   
gold baubles dotted here and there. The Suits of Armour were singing echoed   
Christmas carols in loud, deep voices. Christmas was in the air, you could   
even smell it, the house elves making endless preparations, with rich Christmas   
food aromas waffling through the air lazily. Sirius groaned every time he   
went anywhere near the kitchens.  
  
'Smell that! Oh, oh, oooh get me away from here,' and so on for about forty   
feet within the kitchens. James, Peter, Remus and Lily often laughed at his   
antics around food.   
  
*  
  
'Dolpur, can you fetch Frangipani for me, and Xenia? Said Voldemort, looking   
at the darkened, dirty tile hearth of the purple blue flames or the fire.  
  
'Yes Lord,' he said, whipping out of the room and searching on his map of the mansion.   
  
Within seconds, Dolpur returned to the room, two women by his side. A   
Frangipani Malfoy was there, a tall, sleek and proud woman with a very delicate   
frame. She had blond, greying hair, which was hidden because of the whiteness   
of it. She had stormy, grey eyes that were highlighted, shaded with blue.   
She wore a crimson red cloak, that reached way past her feet, billowing out   
and leaving a trail on the floor as she walked. Beside her, a tall, willowy   
woman, with dark shiny, askew ringlets that bobbed neatly down her back. She  
was wearing a gold cloak, that seemed to co-ordinate with everything about her  
down to her nasal hair. Her rosy cheeks were slightly paler against the harsh   
light, and her pale skin had nearly no colour about it.   
  
'You summoned us master?' said the woman next to Frangipani, Xenia.  
  
'Yes, I need you to go back to the muggle world and play your part there,   
spread the word on your way. You mustn't let on that you are one of my followers   
unless you are enlisting someone.-'   
  
Xenia tuned out, she would get the details from Frangipani later. She thought   
about her husband, and her son.   
  
'Serevus, I'm only doing this for you…' she thought back to the argument they had.  
  
'Yeah! Supporting the evil guy mum, the evil guy.' He retorted back, spitting   
moodily at his mother.  
  
'He will not come after us…it's a good thing.'   
  
She pleaded with him to believe what she was doing was right, but it still wasn't   
working, he was absolutely scared to come near her if her wand was near by, he   
wouldn't talk to her unless he was asking her something and he stayed shut up  
in his room, fiddling or reading, or played with his father, who too felt very betrayed.  
  
'You may go.' A voice spoke louder than before. Xenia pulled herself away from   
her thoughts and followed Frangipani out of the room, they apparated out of sight.  
  
*  
  
'You know, pretending to be with you isn't so bad…' said James as he kicked   
lazily at the icy water of the lake.  
  
'Pretending again are we?' drawled Lily, there was a hint of a blush on her face.  
  
'No!' he said as he kicked freezing water at her.  
  
'Good.' She nodded, looking at him with a strange expression on her face, a   
mix between melancholy and self-satisfaction. She looked at James, who was   
trying to reach the giant squids tenticle without getting his robes entirely   
wet. 'Come back on the land, you are going to catch a cold,' Lily warned,   
her fine eyebrows arching over her emerald-green eyes.  
  
'Yes mother' giving Lily a mock exasperated look. James grinned, walking   
slowly in the warmer shallows, towards Lily. He put on his cloak, which was   
sitting next to Lily, and fastened it up tightly. Lily slipped her hand into  
his, and they walked across the grounds.  
  
'I can't wait until tomorrows feast, just Sirius, Remus, you and I there, as   
well as the teachers. I can't believe Serevus changed his mind about staying,   
what luck!' commentated Lily as they walked, with a dreamy look in her eyes.  
  
'Yes, that was fortunate…' agreed James, looking at her, head tilted as though   
he was thinking.  
  
Something lurked in the shadows, a rustling noise turned James's head.  
  
'Did you hear something?' he asked Lily.  
  
'No, why?' she looked at him curiously.  
  
'I thought I heard something in those bushes,' he said, pointing towards the   
bushes when Sirius and Remus were currently hiding.  
  
'You go towards them to the left, I'll go right.' James instructed.  
  
'Okay' Lily crept off, noiselessly, slowly pulling out her wand. She hardly   
dared to breathe. Lily arrived at the bush, a few seconds ahead of James.   
She nodded at him, and they went down the small, prickly lane in between the   
school wall and the bush.   
  
James growled as he lifted up the hood on Sirius's cloak. Sirius looked   
displeased about getting caught.  
  
'We were just coming down to get you for lunch, and you looked -er- busy, so   
I,' Sirius lied in a rush to explain. Remus nudged him and he corrected himself   
'We, I mean, gave you, both some privacy.'   
  
'How thoughtful, I would have thought it would be safer to stand where Peter   
is…' he drawled, not amused, pointing up to where Peter was looking down at   
them. James gestured Peter to come and join them  
  
'Why were you spying on us?' Lily demanded.  
  
Sirius screwed up his face. 'I wouldn't call it spying…'   
  
'We weren't intending to' Remus assured cooler under pressure.  
  
'Then what, were you intending to do?' She sounded un-impressed, her eyebrows  
were arched in an expression of disgust and her chin was sitting neatly at her chest.  
  
'We, as Sirius has already explained to you, were coming to collect you for   
lunch, and you looked like you didn't want company.'   
  
Lily thought about this, then seemed to come up with another point worth   
voicing. 'Why not just return to the castle then?'   
  
'Sirius, help me…' Remus muttered. Lily and James looked at him and couldn't   
help but laugh. He looked panic stricken, and they were all laughing as Peter   
joined them, who exploded into paroxysms of laughter. When it had finally died   
down, he asked them what was so funny.  
  
*  
  
Voldemort apparated. He was now standing at his fathers' grave. Father, oh   
father. Once so proud of me, the drawstring of your heart, the pinnacle of   
pride, the specimen of your believing. And Orphelia too. What have I done?  
I have no sense of guilt. You were a fool father, a fool. Leaving me, fool.  
  
'Come, we must go…' murmured Dolpur.  
  
'Yes,' he nodded and allowed himself to be guided away. He was shaking with   
rage directed at his father.  
  
'He may be useful, given you something, knowledge, strength perhaps…'  
  
'We are going to the Ministry of Magic, Dolpur, now'   
  
'I shall follow.' Dolpur said, wondering what they were going to do when they   
got there.   
  
'Very well. Shall we go?' Voldemort chided icily.  
  
'Lord! Wait for me!' a voice called. Voldemort snapped his head around from   
where the crying, female voice came. Looking around scathingly, his eyes   
finally stopped circling. He settled on Xenia, who had evidently apparated   
to the wrong place and had run from there, instead of dissaparating.   
'Lord…please pardon my lateness, I apparated…six or seven miles from here, I   
ran…' she panted.  
  
'Very well, we shall meet you at the Ministry, if you manage to apparate   
correctly. If not, we shall rendezvous in Kleppe Belingsaugen, Switzerland   
tomorrow, at the statue, former statue.' Voldemort arranged.  
  
*  
  
'Ask her out' Sirius insisted, now rolling up his clean socks.  
  
'You should you know…' said Remus, now lost under his robes.  
  
'Yeah!' piped up Peter, his pink, chubby head poking out from between the   
curtains of his bed as he was organising his trunk, figuring out what he could   
leave here and what he would need.  
  
'What would you know Peter?' growled Sirius, now barely managing with his long robes.  
  
'Don't get irritated at me, just because I can fold my clothes…' he sniped.  
  
'You didn't even fold them!' exclaimed an exasperated James, pointing at the   
several coat hangers which hung everything from cloaks to socks.   
  
'Yeah, well…' Peter mumbled, turning red as the curtains surrounding him.  
  
'Mmm mmi ymf mf pf Pfetf' some incoherent and incomprehensible words flew out  
of Remus's covered mouth.  
  
'Now, back to Lily and James' Sirius said, in crisp business-like tones.   
  
'Not now Sirius…' said James, rolling over onto his side, pretending to try   
and sleep.  
  
'Yes, now James, you and I and Lily have waited long enough to get your cowardice   
approach to emotions sorted out. It's Christmas, her first Christmas without  
her family, give her something special' he said, trying the guilt card.  
  
'Nah uh, the guilt card ain't going to work for me, if you want to give her   
some hope so much, maybe you should ask her out yourself.' James said,   
completely seeing through Sirius's little scheme.  
  
'I would, but she doesn't like me.' He said, looking rather disgruntled.   
  
'How do you know that?' he demanded, one eyebrow raised.  
  
'Have you seen the way she looks at you when you're not looking? No I guess   
not, but she likes you. She goes all misty eyed and laughs at your pathetic   
excuses for jokes…' he ranted on and on. 'It's still only eight O'clock, you're   
not in your pajamas yet, chuck on a robe and go see if she's in the common   
room…I'll wear the invisibility cloak for moral support…' Sirius said hopefully.  
  
'It's Christmas eve…She'll like that.' Said Remus. James was getting more and   
more convinced every time Sirius opened his mouth. He merely sat on his bed   
and became a dead weight when Sirius tried to drag him up.   
  
Sirius was shoving a cloak over his head and mumbling, like a mother; 'It'll   
be good for you…and Lily, she needs you James, needs you…' James stood up so   
abruptly that Sirius almost fell over.   
  
'Okay, fine, I'll do it…' he said defeated.  
  
'Can I come?' asked Sirius excitedly.  
  
'Yes, but not with the invisibility cloak, she'll think I'm setting her up.'   
He said conditionally.  
  
'Yeah…okay. Let's go, are you coming Remus?' Sirius asked.  
  
'I'll be there in a sec, just let me get this ruddy robe twisted in the right  
direction' he said, satirically.  
  
'Okay, I'll fill you in.' assured Sirius, his face twisted into a wicked,   
mischievously perilous grin. They paced their way to the common room, walking  
so briskly down the stairs it was almost a run. They made it there just as   
Lily was opening the door to come out. She had obviously been bored with her  
dorm tenants. She lifted her face to see who was blocking the doorway of   
auburn stained wood. Her eyes lit up and so did her face as she pulled it   
into a delighted smile.   
  
'James, Sirius, I was wondering if you were ever going to come down!' She   
raised her eyebrows, and gestured them towards the elaborately decorated   
fireplace, in season for Christmas. They sat down in chairs and Sirius became   
extremely interested in some people near the Fat Lady. Sirius departed, his   
gait joyful but stiff, he looked as though he had a slight limp on the right leg.   
  
'I wanted to ask you something Lily.' James rumbled, looking nervous as a   
little boy (though he is still one).  
  
'What?' she asked gently, thoroughly curious, though tried desperately not to  
look to keen.  
  
'Well, I was wondering, well…' he faded off as his blush became deeper.  
  
'Well?' she demanded, looking keenly at James.  
  
'I was wondering if you would go out with me,' he mumbled in extremely illegible,   
deep and embarrassed tones.  
  
'James' she said, her head bowed as so he couldn't see her facial features.   
'James, I'm flattered.' She mumbled under hair veil of wavy, cascading, red hair.   
'I would love to go out with you,' she whispered, so quiet that you wouldn't   
have noticed that she whispered at all if he wasn't listening so hard for any  
sort of response. Lily looked up, her face pale with very rosy cheeks. She   
pulled her hair behind her ears and James quickly noticed that they were bright   
red too.  
  
'Okay' James looked relieved, almost flattered. James looked at her, apprehensive.   
He leaned in to whisper to her. He whispered nonsense and loudly whispered   
Sirius, who he was sure was hanging on to every word, clinging onto Lily's   
phrases of emotion etched talk.   
  
Lily left from where she was sitting, waving good-bye to James. He was still  
sitting there, elbows on his knees, his hands clasped. Thinking about what   
he just did, why he just did it and so on…until; Sirius came over and chuckled   
and the very nervous look on James's face.   
  
'Sirius' he moaned. 'What have I done?'   
  
'You just got yourself married with children and a house, and you'll never be  
single again.' James thought Sirius was being serious, but when he looked at   
his long-time friend, he saw he was grinning widely and was chuckling. At   
this moment Remus walked in, his robes still twisted, creased and disorganised.   
He had a snappy, disheartened look on his pensive, gentle face. He looked   
sobered and bitter, but when he saw James' worried look, Sirius' comforting,   
but laughing face, Remus couldn't help but smile.   
  
'He did it' said Sirius, with mock graveness on his face, Remus looked mournfully   
at his friend, with mock despair.   
  
'Oh James, I'm so, happy…' he said, James looked at him, a sneer on his face.  
Remus quickly spotted this and opened his mouth to add; 'For you I mean, for   
you…' James' face quickly turned back to blissfully happy and bitterly miserable.   
'Let's go. It's getting late.'  
  
'It's eight thirty!' an exasperated Sirius said. 'I know, let's start a   
tradition, we'll stay in the common room, with our blankets and stuff and   
sleep in here every Christmas eve, when we are all together. Let's go and   
visit the kitchen James.' Sirius suggested. James nodded, still dumbstruck,  
eyes distant with no application.  
  
*  
  
Lily looked at herself in the toilet mirror. Was she different? Was she the  
same old Lily? A girl stared back at her, High, rosy cheeks, resting on cheekbones.   
Emerald green eyes under fine arched eyebrows. Flaming red hair, long and   
thick and soft, reaching to her elbows when her arms were straight. Her hair  
combed neatly and pushed behind her ears. Lily took a small hand to her face  
and touched her cheek. Her pale skin tingled, quickly warming up. The tip of   
her small nose was slightly rosy and very cold and detached. Lily lifted her  
other hand to it and pinched the tip of it, and felt it slowly warm up.   
  
'Will I be different?' she wondered silently in her complex mind. 'Will I   
still like him? Will he still like me? Is this just Remus' love potion finally   
taking effect, or is it just me?'   
  
'Lily!' squealed a voice from the doorway. Lily slowly turned around, and   
stared at her co-dormitory bunker, Grace. 'What happened with you and James?   
You looked pretty cosy…are you going out?' Grace had her eyelids slitted, they   
looked tiny. Grace's black, large eyes were covered by her eyelids, her pale,   
chubby face was peering at her, curiously, as if Lily had a smear of food across   
it. Her eyelashes, curly and short, were batting gently, and she was walking  
slowly towards her, still looking at her. Lily felt her cheeks go red.   
  
'Yeah' she managed to gulp. 'He asked me out tonight.' Lily flushed, her   
face going red and her pulse ran haywire even at the thought of James.  
  
'I always knew it…remember those talks Lily, of us, in our Dormitory?' she asked,   
now standing behind Lily. 'If James asked you out, shouldn't you be with him?'  
  
'I said I was tired.' Lily commentated dully.  
  
'So! This guys totally infatuated with you, as you are him and you're standing   
here, looking at yourself in a mirror?' she erupted.  
  
'Yeah, I guess you're right.' Lily agreed.  
  
'Well, get going!' she batted her arms towards the door, and when Lily didn't  
move, she pushed her in the small of the back out of the door and shut it   
firmly behind her. She looked back towards the dorm door, feeling a little   
sad, and then made her way up the stairs, looking up towards the common room.  
  
'Lily!' a male voice called, sounding like James. 'I came down to see you,   
but you weren't in your dorm, I wasn't looking in the toilets, so I just asked,   
er-Greta? Where you were.' He rushed out.  
  
'Grace' she corrected 'I was in the toilets, washing my hands.' She lied.  
  
'Okay, I was going to invite you up to the common room. Sirius is insisting   
that we sleep in the common room until at least midnight and look for Santa   
Claus.' James looked at her, grinning at the thought that Sirius still   
insisted on believing in Santa Claus. 'You might want to bring a blanket,'   
he pointed out.  
  
Lily smiled at him, and vaguely motioned in the direction of her dorm; 'Come   
in, I've been in yours.'  
  
She led the way, James heeling behind her. When they got to the door, James   
stopped her and pointed at the top of the doorframe.  
  
'Mistletoe' he said, with a slow, exclusive smile. Lily walked back towards   
him, allowing him to take her hands. Slowly they embraced, for a few seconds,   
then James pulled away. Lily still stood there, her eyes shut and her lips   
quivering, trembling in a graceful, dignified way. James waited politely   
outside in the corridor as Lily checked to see if anyone had decided on   
changing. The door opened and Lily emerged with her winter cloak and her   
blankets. James took them and disappeared under the pile and Lily wrestled   
with the pile of bed Linen to pull her cloak free. She finally managed with   
much assistance from James, and gratefully put it over her thin, shivering back.   
  
They arrived at the Gryffindor Common room door, looking at each other, Lily   
looking at James, biting her bottom lip, in un-hid anxiety, James, peering   
down at her, curiously. James opened the door and waved her in, she went in,  
glancing at James and he followed, closing the door behind him.  
  
'Ooh, the lovebirds have arrived.' Sirius teased. He looked at Lily and   
winked who replied with a bland and satirical smile. Sirius whimpered,   
looking injured with a mock sob. Remus played along, easing and soothing him  
as a mother would to a bawling child.  
  
'I hope you are happy now?' Remus demanded at Lily, in a high cackle, he was   
broadly grinning, and his gentle smile followed.  
  
'What have you been up to since we have been gone?' asked James.  
  
'Since you were gone such a long time…' added Sirius.  
  
'We played exploding snap and Peter just Floo Powdered out with his parents   
and his trunk. I have also been trying to explain, in the most comprehendible   
fashion, the rules of Monopoly and Cluedo to Sirius.' Remus informed.  
  
'Which I totally don't get…' trailed Sirius, looking perplexed at the mere   
thought of why muggles would play such games.  
  
'We were also betting on who would win the Quidditch world cup…It's in Ireland   
this year isn't it?'   
  
'Quidditch,' murmured Lily. 'Can someone explain to me,' she looked up at   
the three faces surrounding her, Lily felt a strange claustrophobia slide   
over her, 'the rules of Quidditch.'   
  
'Okay!' all three volunteered. James started explaining, with additions every   
second sentence by Sirius and Remus, what the principles of Quidditch were in  
great, graphical detail from how exhilarating diving was to the bludgers, who  
zoomed around ruthlessly and tirelessly aiming to knock players off their   
broomsticks. Just as Sirius opened his mouth to explain what sort of broomsticks   
were best suited to what positions, Lily rolled over and mock snored, indicating   
she had, basically had enough.  
  
'Are we boring you Lily?' Sirius said, almost coldly, looking at her as she   
rolled over and smoothed down her shiny, tousled hair.   
  
'It's nearly midnight' said Remus, anxious to keep the peace. James rolled   
over onto his side, accordingly adjusting his thick, woolen blanket. He moved   
over to the fire, beginning to ember and glow brilliant, light red. They counted   
down to Christmas, judging by the fastest watch. They all grinned, now suddenly   
feeling hungry, not at all tired, with new found energy.  
  
'I'm hungry!' Remus said suddenly, breaking the tense silence.  
  
'I know, we'll all get our Christmas presents and open them together, down here!'   
said Sirius, obviously wondering what he got and not wanting to wait until a   
decent hour of the morning.  
  
'Okay, back here alright' James agreed, looking around the group. They all   
shuffled out of the room, blankets wrapped firmly around them, yawning James,  
Remus and Sirius looked out of the window into the night. It was snowing.  
  
*  
  
'Oh, how I loathe Christmas, so much…cheer.' Voldemort sneered from his hide   
out in Switzerland. 'I am glad that you are here with me, all of you, to let  
sanity prevail, at least in my world…'   
  
'Sir, we must attack the Ministry tomorrow, if we are to have any chance…It   
will not be crowded tomorrow, only with burly, half-drunk members who think   
they are sobered, yet still display the temperamental attitude of a man who   
is full. It would be best.' Dolpur said, looking at his master.  
  
'Yes, very well' Voldemort sighed. 'It is nothing for me to celebrate…'  
  
'Lord, let them celebrate. They will have precious little to celebrate over   
your reign…' Xenia said smoothly.  
  
'Yes…' agreed Voldemort, his hands clasped behind his back, his knuckles   
turning white quickly.  
  
*  
  
The boys had arrived at their dormitory both pleased and excited. They   
spotted large piles of gifts and presents, all wrapped up in festive paper   
and foil. They dived onto them, making bags with their pillowcases and   
blankets and pulling them in, occasionally stopping to shake a present that   
looked promising. Once they had finished, they trudged back down the cold,   
marble stairs and arrived at the common room, where Lily was sitting, stoking  
the fire, her presents in a neat stack, near the wall where they were previously   
sitting. They decided to grab armchairs and magic couches near the fire.   
  
'Have you opened any Lily?' asked Sirius, holding out a small, wrapped gift.   
It looked to be wrapped in toilet paper. Lily took it and offered him a gift.   
It instantly won Sirius' heart and stomach. He lifted the lid to the large,   
heavy box and Sirius' face lit up with delight.   
  
'Would you like a piece?' he offered as Lily handed out the rest of her presents,   
consisting of Christmas cake, Mince and treacle tarts, turkey and ham sandwiches   
and toffees and chocolates. James blushed as her handed her, her present.   
It was in a box, made of fine silk, well covered in silk of royal blue. She   
opened it and her face lit up in surprise. She moved her stack to the couch   
where James was sitting and slapped his feet over, making room for herself at  
the end. She took his hand and thanked him.   
  
'What is it?' asked Sirius, eyes full of curiosity. 'Ooh, I bet it's jewelry,   
no it could be something el-' Sirius was cut off by a dirty look from Lily.  
  
'No it wasn't something else' she glared.   
  
'Then what was it?' Lily opened the silk box, with great care. She showed   
it to Sirius who opened and shut his mouth. Remus peered in the box and looked   
at James who was blushing ferociously.  
  
'James! I bet I didn't get something that good!' gaped Remus, his eyes wide   
in fake hurting. James laughed and looked at his friend, feeling slightly   
guilty because Remus had hit the nail sharply on the head. James had got   
them about two Galleons of chocolate frogs and sweets, where as Lily's cost   
about twelve galleons. Lily looked adoringly at her necklace, silver studded  
with fine beads of emerald, matching her eyes. She took it out of its box and   
fiddled with the clasp, not figuring out how to work it. James leaned over   
and said open. It obeyed, opening with a slight springing noise. He fastened   
it around her neck, pulling her hair over it, it matched her eyes, perfectly.  
No wonder, since his mother had chosen it.  
  
'Here,' James mumbled, thrusting a package at Sirius and Remus, who exchanged  
presents. They all grinned evilly, looking at each other and laughing.  
  
'What?' asked Lily, baffled. 'What's so funny?'   
  
'We…all…gave..each other…the same…present.' Sirius managed to pant through   
his laughter. Lily peered into the identical boxes, two each, and laughed   
with them. Inside was about 2 galleons worth of chocolate frogs, Every-Flavour beans,   
sours, sherbets and other assorted sweets. Lily helped herself to Sirius'   
box, who waved his hand at her, shooing her away from it, and nursed it, like  
it had suffered a great loss. They sat and smiled, occasionally talking,   
occasionally eating(though always eating in Sirius' case) and joking, laughing   
and smiling. Like family, a family of young, twelve year old children.  



	8. Default Chapter Title

A/N: Well, sighs through nose,   
to avoid garlic smelling breath   
coming out and haunting her nose   
forever. This, story, is getting   
rather dull woudn't you say?  
Reviews please, I need to lap up  
in the glory...  
Peace-ya-Jade.  
  
Strong Confusion Alert officially placed...   
  
  
'Wha-?' Sirius panicked, looking around to see them all, in the common room,   
Remus rolling over in his sleep, blankets twisted and looped around him in   
inexplicable knots, Lily and James quietly talking by the embers of the fire   
and Grace sitting there, her chubby face gazing at Sirius.   
  
'What?' he snapped, picking up his blankets and hastily pulling his robes down.   
  
'Nothing' she said, a small smile glinted in her warm, black eyes.   
  
Grace Chandler was a small, tubby and pompous know-it-all Gryffindor who   
severely got on Sirius' nerves. She smirked at him, like she knew something   
he didn't. Sirius surveyed her, looking at her outsize robes and her wide,   
fat feet. Her curly fringe was ruffled, sitting slightly crooked, and her   
dark hair was thin and limp around her round shoulders.  
  
'Then stop looking at me,' demanded Sirius.  
  
'Why?' she asked in extremely hauty tones.  
  
'Because it's annoying, don't you have somewhere else to be?' rushed Sirius.  
  
'No, I'm fine where I am thanks…' she drawled. Sirius glowered at her,   
knowing she had won.  
  
'Fine' he snapped and stormed away from her, moving towards his pile of   
Christmas gifts and mountains of wrapping paper surrounding it, like protection.   
  
'Merry Christmas Sirius!' cheered Lily from next to James. James nodded, his  
mouth full of sandwich, which looked like turkey from what was in his hand. Sirius waved back, his mood changing instantly from annoyed to grateful.  
  
'You too Lily, you too James…' he trailed off as a person cut him off from   
where she was sitting. It was Grace. Sirius privately groaned, turning   
around to face her. She looked extremely irritated and was blushing.   
  
'What?' he asked icily.   
  
'I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas…I'm changing into Hufflepuff, I asked  
Dumbledore if the-' she cut off, she choked on a dry, hacking sob which threatened   
to make her voice hoarse. 'If the hat was rii-ight' she sobbed into her robes,   
not stopping, Remus stirred and woke up and gaped at Grace.   
  
'What did you do to her?' he mumbled at Sirius.  
  
'Nothing! She is…' he trailed off, not wanting to embarrass himself. What   
had he done? He had just made a girl burst into tears on Christmas morning...   
He looked reluctantly at Grace and felt guilty.   
  
'When are your parents coming to pick you up?' he mumbled softly.  
  
'Eight-t' she choked through her robes.  
  
'Okay, why don't you go up to your dormitory and get ready then?' he suggested,   
becoming somewhat hopeful.  
  
'Okay' she whispered, now over her sobs and moved onto the hiccups, and steered   
herself dizzily out of the Common room.  
  
'Good riddance' he muttered under his breath.  
  
'What did you say to her?' Lily asked, looking concerned.  
  
'I didn't say Merry Christmas to her…' he said, shooting a defiant look over   
his shoulder to Remus, who was now stifling laughter.   
  
'Did she say Merry Christmas to you before that?' she inquired.   
  
'Sort of, she's changing to Hufflepuff…' he answered, mumbling and cursing   
himself harshly mentally.  
  
'She likes you Sirius, she has for a while and she was too…enthusiastic.' Lily told.  
  
'Well! She goes around terrorising me and stalking me, talking to me with a   
smirk or a drawl on her face and she won't leave me alone! I have to be cold   
to her Lily, she won't leave me alone!' he exploded, he paced up and down the  
common room, searching his memory for any little sign that she liked him. He  
didn't find one, all he found was uncomfortable and galling memories of one   
little pedantic and annoying girl who was very overweight, smug and arrogant.  
  
'She does it because she thinks it's flirting.' Lily sighed, but then looked happier.  
  
'She was very smug and ego mad…' piped Remus. Everyone murmered in agreement,  
bundled their rubbish and presents into their make-shift bags and went into their   
dormitories to get changed into fresh, clean robes.   
  
'So' said Sirius with a meaningful look at James, 'What were you two talking   
about when I was asleep?'   
  
James looked at him, suspiciously and continued to get changed. He was doing  
his laces up when he finally voiced.  
  
'We were talking about the future.' He said, grunting as her pulled his   
shoelace tighter.  
  
'You're getting married!' teased Sirius, eyes wide with imitation surprise and glee.  
  
'No,' we were talking about what we were going to do for work.' James   
uncharacteristically snapped. His usually kind, compassionate and honest brown   
eyes were looking at him disdainfully, as though he was prying into private mail.  
  
'Okay!' Sirius surrendered, waving his pillowcase like a white flag. James   
couldn't help but laugh and Remus joined in too.  
  
'I'm going to the bathroom, I'll meet you down at the Great Hall.' James announced,   
heading for the door.  
  
'Okay, see you!' they called after his slouching back.   
  
*  
  
Lily was so happy she could sing, but she didn't. She imagined them in ten   
years time in her minds eye. They were standing there, much taller and happier   
than today and they had a son cradled, supporting his head carefully. They   
were in a British street with single Sirius and Remus sharing a flat, Remus's  
insistent neatness driving Sirius mad. They were in a small, tidy house, walls   
lined with pictures, far away from their parents. She was having the most fun   
Christmas of her life, better than kissing dreary, ancient Aunts on the cheek  
and shaking hands with embarrassed cousins. She felt a surge of homesickness,   
as she pulled her robes over her head.   
  
*  
  
Lily walked into the Great hall for breakfast. She shrewdly calculated how   
many people would be there. She had anticipated that there would be between   
forty and fifty students staying. She was wrong, there were only a handful   
between all year levels, the Head Boy was staying and some of the prefects   
were too, but other than them there were six or seven not counting James,   
Remus, Sirius and herself.   
  
'Good Morning!' Sirius greeted as she sat down, still looking at what small   
numbers there were around. Sirius saw this, and agreed with her. 'Yeah, not  
many hang around for Christmas…' he trailed off as he filled his mouth with   
food, chewing contentedly.   
  
*  
  
Voldemort sighed as he looked in the Ministry of Magic. Only one was there,   
there would be no point in attacking now, there would be no one to live to   
tell the terrifying tale that would haunt them forever.   
  
He wasn't going to waste all those painful transformations for nothing, all   
that training for terrorism in the pitiful Muggle army. It had worked though,   
he knew more about Dark Arts than any one of his teachers, they all had specific   
areas of Dark Magic, they were all hidden in jungles or in China, where no one   
would suspect them.   
  
Tom Riddle, ambitious intelligent and handsome had spent the best part of four   
years looking for them, tracking them down. He had used his time wisely, going   
with previous contacts with who he had searched for previously to track them   
down. Tom had quickly learned not to use family in tracing them, they wished  
nothing more than to be left alone with the good memories of their sons and   
daughter, who they were so proud of erstwhile.   
  
Tom had searched the world, looking for the greatest Dark Wizards, studying   
with them, him as their apprentice. He would learn everything they had to   
offer. He even asked Professor Dippet, a foolish power-greedy Headmaster at   
Hogwarts when he was there. He kept the school running ion a manner not   
unlike today, but still it was very shabby compared to Dumbledores recent   
hold on the reigns, Voldemort could quickly see its system changing, not greatly,   
but enough to make the way Dippet ran it foolish and not thoughtful. The   
students were loyal to Dumbledore, loyalty that Dippet had never received from   
his students, no matter how charming.   
  
Tom fed on this, sucking up to his Headmaster, and there he was Head Boy.   
Voldemort sighed again, when people thought of him as a good boy, model student,   
responsible young man with the ability to go anywhere he wanted in life…well   
he had almost achieved his goal. The panic was increasing through out the   
magic community, he was one of the most feared wizards. He was quickly gaining   
numbers to his side, recruiting them or threatening to stalk, slay them or force them.   
People saw the quickest way out was to agree with him. He was the magic form   
of terrorists, forming their own wars, this war would be won by him. Tom   
Marvolo Riddle, now, in 1970 over 44 years old, looked a far cry from what he  
used to. No-one recognised him, no-one even knew that plain Tom was gaining   
power on him.   
  
'Sir, you never explained to me why exactly you want James Potter on your side.'   
Dopur said gently, guiding his Lord to the chairs where now people were sitting;   
Xenia Snape, Frangipani Malfoy, Gicham Crabbe and Morual Goyle. They looked at   
their leader with interest. Voldemort had a sneer on his face, once smooth and   
handsome now fearsome and illegible.   
  
'He will be an auror, like Godric Gryffindor he will be great. He will cause  
my downfall if he does all the necessary training and preparation. It is important   
that I have no enemies, except Dumbledore.' He murmured.  
  
'But how do you see this?' Dolpur pressed.   
  
'I know it. Don't ask me anymore questions.' Voldemort snapped irritably in   
reply. He had been getting moody lately, impatient with his servants and followers,   
no one really understood him like some of his old school friends once did.   
Voldemort surpressed a sigh, coughing through his nose.   
  
*  
  
'Where are you going?' asked James with great interest.   
  
'No where!' said Sirius, mischief written on his smiling, happy face.  
  
'Okay, do you suppose we should go in the forest?' asked Remus rather nervously.  
  
'No, we'll save that for tomorrow.' James nodded at Sirius, signaling for him   
to come down.   
  
'Okay, okay, I didn't know the feast was so important to you…' he grumbled   
stepping off the old, spluttering school broom.  
  
'Yeah well, I'm sick of watching you perform basic and primitive tricks on your   
broom there.' James prompted.  
  
'Sure, I'm sure you could do better.' Sirius challenged.  
  
'Is that a dare?' asked James good-natured.  
  
'No no,' Sirius weakened, knowing well that James' skill on a broomstick outdid   
his own. James had always caught on quickly though.  
  
'Okay,' finished James. 'Are you coming yet Remus?' he asked, waving him over   
from observing one of the goal posts.   
  
'Yeah' he said in a tired, flat voice, as though he had just had a very filling   
dinner but didn't want to stop. In an unusual silence, they walked into the   
Great Hall together.   
  
'Come in!' enthusiastically cried Dumbldore in the process of offering Professor   
Erb the end of a Christmas cracker. Sirius looked at James. They had made   
their own Christmas Crackers last year, they exploded in everyones face.   
James said to Sirius after, that adding four cracking strips wasn't such a   
good idea and should've stuck with three.  
  
They sat down, James next to Lily and Sirius, Remus next to Sirius and a pretty   
Ravenclaw first year. Other teachers and prefects were at another table along   
with some fourth and third years.   
  
'Merry Christmas to you all!' cheered Dumbledore, holding up a goblet that was   
filled with what looked suspiciously like brandy.   
  
'Here here,' they murmured. Suddenly golden plates and trays and boats filled   
with food, iced jugs of egg-nog and other drinks filled themselves up. Sirius   
looked delighted, filling his plate with turkey, ham, potatoes, buttered peas,   
bread, anything he could lay his hands on without reaching too far. After his  
fifth plate he decided to save himself for sweets. They had Plum Pudding,   
trifle and custard and cream. James, Remus and Lily left soon after Sirius   
third slice of pudding, dragging him away from the table, though not complaining.   
They went up to their common room, very full and sleepy. They got out their   
Chess sets, self-shuffling cards and exploding snap decks and enjoyed games.   
They finished off with a game of challenge or confess then helped themselves   
to the hot chocolate and turkey sandwiches. They grabbed their sets and stumbled   
sleepily to their bed, mumbling wistful good byes as they rubbed their sleepy  
eyes. They went to bed, not knowing what was to come.  
  
*  
  
It was four O'clock in the afternoon and Voldemort was getting impatient.   
Surely they could attack now, there were seventeen people there, all in the   
same room, but his tactical 'advisor' had said it still wasn't the right time.   
Voldemort, impatient and grumpy strode outside the door, his boots crunching   
in the snow, and opened the door of the Ministry of Magic. Goyle, Snape, and  
Dolpur followed with Malfoy and Crabbe not far behind them. It was a cold day,   
and vapor poured out their mouths as they talked and exhaled.   
  
'Let's go…' Voldemort said quickly before the tactical 'advisor' came over.   
He opened the well-lubricated door, pushing it open slowly, and continued down   
the hall where all seventeen people were standing. Voldemort and his support  
were pushing ears against the doors, all wanting to hear what they had to say.   
  
'-It is a tragedy, but all the same, we must press on in finding Voldemort as  
he calls himself. Tom Riddle, I used to go to school with him, one of my best   
friends, ironnically we thought he was going to be the best auror, but he is   
the opposite of that…such a shame.' A man sighed, he had little empathy in his   
eyes, only a burning desire, a gritted jaw of determination and a steely glint   
to his eye. He had his fist planted firmly on the table they were surrounding   
and was bent over in robes of a deep, inky blue. He looked at his   
not-so-enthusiastic members of the ministry, not so convinced to try and catch him.   
  
'The dangers involved, the lives at risk…' someone muttered darkly.  
  
'He will not hesitate to use the Unforgivable Curses on anybody!' pierced a   
high shrill voice.  
  
'The biggest risk is to take no risk! Are we just going to stand here fearing   
him? Or are we going to fight?' the person from before said, his eyes shooting   
furious looks at any one who dared to disagree.   
  
'No, you won't have to any more…you will all be dead!' spoke a deep, horrific  
voice from the doorway.   
  
'Battle positions!' barked what appeared to be the leader of the group.  
  
'Why?' sneered Voldemort with a silky, arrogant intensity, looking at them   
keenly. Looking at them, fingering his wand with malice glittering in his eyes.  
  
'Wha-what do you want?' asked a panicky old auror, looking as though he might   
die of fright.  
  
'To kill you…' he sneered, looking murderous and highly sensitive at that moment.   
  
'All of us?' quavered a timid looking witch who Voldemort would never had   
noticed, there under the rounded solid oak table, if she had not of spoken.  
  
'No, I think one shall be spared.' Toyingliy, Voldemort looked around, as if   
selecting which member would take it the hardest. He looked at his followers  
and nodded at the Minister of Magic, Jakob Wolffe, and muttered to them to let   
him live.   
  
The girl, really, was praying hard, her hands clasped so tightly her small,   
knobby knuckles went a pale yellow quickly turning to white. She then looked   
up fearfully. A wand was pointed directly at her head.   
  
She turned away, shrieking, and crouched into the tiniest ball possible.   
  
'Averda Kedavra' he whispered hoarsely. Green light span out of his wand, a   
green mist settled over the room. An old, but stern looking man was enraged.  
  
He thumped his fist on the table and stormed violently towards her killer.   
  
'Why her? She was only a little girl!' he bellowed like an injured elephant.  
  
He was raising his wand when an Averda Kedavra was hissed lightly between   
gritted teeth, came from behind him. He swirled around, a fan of emerald   
green cloak followed, and faced his killer before slumping to the ground,   
limp and lifeless.   
  
The rest of the squad were a little less enraged and hysterical, in battle formation,   
most likely for the last time, and shouted incensed threats, not intending to  
commit to them. Jakob Wolffe was at the front of the formation, waving his   
wand precariously.   
  
'Kill him!' he sneered to the rest of the ministry aurors. 'Show no mercy!'  
  
'Yeah! Show no mercy!' Voldemort jeered, scoffing at the thought of them performing   
an unforgivable curse. The rest of his team, spayed casually around the room,   
covering all angles, suddenly in formation ducked as hexes and curses bounced  
lightly off walls or sending sizzling holes through the walls.   
  
'Dictators' Jakob muttered, as though he was figuring something out. Jakob   
scanned his mind for any weakness he had read about dictators. The only thing   
he could think of was getting them out of formation, though they weren't in   
formation, they were dotted lazily around the room, standing there perfectly   
calm and rational. They seemed to be chanting, though this could be a figment   
of his delirious and spinning mind. He looked around him, turning his head fast,   
it spun around quickly, a feeling of nausea washed over him from dizziness,   
and spotted one Death Eater looking around. He quickly attempted to pull out  
his wand, it went toppling to the ground. Then he was bending over and stumbling   
to the ground.  
  
The Death Eaters made their move, quickly hexing and jinxing and cursing everyone   
but him. Time seemed to pass slowly for Jakob, who was taking in every detail,   
people he worked with, became second family with, friends with, contacts with,  
jealous of were falling to the ground twitching, or still, expressions of horror   
on there dead faces.   
  
The Death Eaters slowly filed out, leaving Voldemort alone with Jakob. Jakob  
shrank back until he felt the cold body of the girl who was murdered first.   
She was limp and light, as though her heavy, tormented soul was out of her, her   
ghost was breaching out of her lifeless body.   
  
She was whispering, softy and lightly in a sweet, calm voice;  
'He will let you live, tell our tale' over and over, repeating it softly so   
only his ears could hear.   
  
'I shall let you live. I'm sure you will want to notify every one, if you do  
go to the media, please tell them that I am gaining power with every fleeting   
day and I will be at my up most powerful within this next year.' Voldemort   
said, wanting publicity to spread more panic across England and indeed the world.   
'And if I here of any more 'searches,' I will kill you…' sneered Voldemort   
threateningly as he vacated the premises.   
  
'Let's go…' he ordered them, and they all apparated out of sight.   
  
*  
  
James, Lily, Remus and Sirius all had fun on Boxing Day, they ate Lunch outside   
in their cloaks and hats and then had a large snowball fight which resulted in   
very, very drenched robes. They were shivering but they went down to the lake,   
which was frozen. They sat by it, throwing the occasional handful of dirty   
snow and talked.   
  
'Let's go sledding' said Remus, suddenly bored.  
  
'Yeah!' shrieked Lily and exclaimed Sirius together.  
  
'Okay,' James agreed grinning widely.   
  
'Okay, I'll race you to that tree!' yelled Remus, working hard to get a head start.   
  
'You're on!' Lily replied, accepting the challenge.  
  
'Okay!' Sirius sprinted forward towards the Whomping Willow.  
  
'Watch out!' hollered James, putting his head down, tucking his elbows in and  
sprinting like mad.  
  
A robed flash easily sprinted past Lily and another whooshed by her soon after.   
Lily just caught up with Remus, who Sirius and James had just passed. Lily and   
Remus stopped to watch them, James was catching up to Sirius, but Sirius wasn't   
faltering, he was still sprinting like a rabbit running for it's life. They   
ran passed the Whomping Willow almost dead together, now splayed out on the   
snow covered grass panting to catch their breath. Lily and Remus jogged together   
towards them.   
  
'What's the idea on giving up?' Sirius demanded, thrusting his head up briefly   
before allowing it to sink back down again.   
  
'Yeah!' panted James, now standing up and brushing excess snow of his robes.   
  
'We wanted to see who won,' Remus said coolly, offering to help Sirius up.  
  
'Yeah' Lily agreed, looking at passed them. James who was watching Lily, spotted   
this and looked behind his shoulder. There stood Hagrid, waving and beaming,  
walking with huge strides towards them.  
  
'Hagrid!' James yelled. Hagrid waved again, this time at all four of them, who   
had turned around to see what James was yelling at. Sirius beamed right back,  
as did Remus, Lily ran towards him, pulling a small package out of her robe pockets.  
  
'I meant to send this to you yesterday' she said breathlessly when she arrived   
at Hagrids hip.   
  
They walked back to where Sirius, Remus and James were walking towards them.  
  
'Thanks Lily, you didn't 'ave to do that!' he boomed down.  
  
'I know, but you have been so good to us this term, with James and Sirius with   
the forest and all…' she mumbled, blushing slightly.   
  
'How was yeh' Christmas?' he asked them all, now standing high above them.   
  
'Good,' they said, craning their necks to see his head.  
  
'Well' he said cheerfully, 'Best be off then.' They turned to look at Hagrids   
tall figure, walking through the fog with ease, and in his cabin door.   
  
*  
  
Voldemort sighed, now safe in Sweden. He looked back on the day's work, picturing   
at Jakob's stricken, pale and sweaty face. He felt proud, finally ditching   
that stupid git of a tactical advisor and making his first attack in person. He had left shards of evidence there, so even if no one chose to believe Jakob, they could see the evidence and have to believe it. Xenia Snape appeared next to him.   
  
'Would you like to visit the grounds Lord?' she said humbly.  
  
'Yes, I would…' he mumbled.   
  
'Come with me…' she gestured for him to follow her. She took him down the   
dank corridor, where a mildew smell seemed to stick to them, and they approached   
a large, heavy stone door. Xenia mumbled something and the doors slid slowly   
apart. They were standing just in front of the door way, in which the door   
was beginning to close. Voldemort looked around, taking in everything. There   
were fires on torches every few metres or so, they acted for warmth and light.   
There were stone walls, with soft trickled of rain dripping down. It was very   
dark, but Voldemort could just make out some sort of mausoleum in the centre.  
The mausoleum was light with a few candles and bits of incense, trailing perfumed   
smoke lazily through the air in wispy lines. He stepped towards it, not expecting   
to see what he did.  
  
'Peter, young one…what are you doing here?' he spoke through the dimness.  
  
'I am here to inform you that James has a weakness, Lord…' said Peter, looking   
pleased.  
  
'Don't you think I knew that?' Voldemort sneered coldly, his booming voice bouncing   
off the walls, giving a truly haunted effect.   
  
'Lord, I did not mean to-' Peter said, looking taken aback, but still in earnest.  
  
'Well, I knew, I have been keeping a close eye on you Peter, but yet, you still   
spy for me, even if you are under a curse…'  
  
'I am NOT under a curse, I was NOT bought up this way, it is my own choice.'   
Peter shrieked. He looked very pink in the face, but the dimness surrounding  
the room was making his face look orange. The shrieks rebounded lightly off   
the walls, they came back to Peter's ears and he realised how much of a fool   
he had made of himself. 'I am truly sorry Lord.' He said, humbling himself   
and perching himself in a precariously clumsy position.   
  
'Very well,' Voldemort snapped icily, his nostrils pinching and flaring in and out.   
  
'Thank you sire' he whispered.  
  
'Well, what are you waiting for?' Voldemort demanded, warming up slightly.   
  
'Off you go!'  
  
Peter took a pinch of Floo Powder and shouted his house street. He traveled   
through the flames until he saw his grid. He got off, dusted himself off and  
then appeared normal.   
  
'Do you wish to continue with the tour of the outside Lord?' inquired Xenia   
Snape from behind the open doorway.  
  
'Yes Xenia, please continue' requested Voldemort.  
  
'AS you wish' she said hastily leading him towards the Mausoleum. She stopped   
at the sight where the incense was burning, sending fragrant fumes out, and   
tapped the bowl of sand in which they were up held three times with her wand,  
muttering Opekis four times. She then took Voldemorts hand and clapped it against   
hers four times and suddenly they were transported to a garden.   
  
Voldemort looked around, taking in the new, lush surroundings. Everywhere you   
looked there was foliage of some, exotic form. There was a soft, dappled blue   
light shining over them and an eerie green mist was settled above them. The   
pathway was soft and squelchy, sinking quickly under their exploring feet.   
The smell was peculiar, a fresh smell, coming off the plants no doubt. It was  
a forest smell, enchanting and floral, skimming past the slits Voldemort called   
nostrils.   
  
Voldemort stared as a small, stag-like creature skidded past him, slipping slightly   
in the mud. Finally he understood.  
  
'An enchanted forest…' he murmured to Xenia.   
  
'Yes sir' she murmured back, looking around, her eyes plastered greedily on   
the green and lush landscape.   
  
'Very good, the smell is annoying me,' he snapped.  
  
'We shall go now' she said, reluctantly forcing her eyes off the forest. She  
led him to a tree, a tall old tree that had several fungal knobs on it. She  
touched one gently and it jerked them to a dead, dull landscape. They dry   
air filled Voldemorts nose and he sighed. Hot winds brushed past them, drying   
their outer shells of skin. Voldemort walked towards the grey-green river,   
dull and disheartening. Voldemort cupped some of its water in his hands, smelling   
it as he let it trickle out again. It smelt like poisoned drowned rats, and rotting   
fish. Voldemort was pumped up by this smell, but thought he may have to go   
through the tranquil, annoying forest to get to it. He looked around at the   
dusty landscape surrounding him, there were several desert land-forms, mainly  
mesas. There was a partial wadi further up the river, with deep trenches in   
its grey, crumbly stone. He looked around at the sort of landscape he liked,  
dry and deathful.   
  
He thought privately that he would be spending a lot of time here.   
  
He swiftly moved to pick up a desert hare. It bucked in his hands, but his grip   
was stronger. He looked at it, with simpering ideas. Voldemort felt strange,   
as though he was gaining power from simply holding that rabbit. He felt its   
bucking and kicking slowly die down, as though she liked Voldemort. The hare   
simply twitched in his arms. Voldemort felt a strange attachment to it. He   
whirled around to find Xenia.   
  
'I want to go back inside' he said spoiltly.  
  
'With the rabbit?' she said in disgust.  
  
'Yes'   
  
'Very well…' she said, looking at the hare in disdain. She was wondering why  
Voldemort would take such a thing into the retreat.  
  
She clapped her hands onto a small, bull skull that Voldemort didn't notice   
before. He looked around, searching for any sign of where Xenia might have gone,   
but didn't find her. He waited there for a few dazed seconds before figuring   
it out. He eased the rabbit into the front of his cloak and then tapped the   
two horns sticking out of the skull. Instantly, he found himself back at the  
dark mausoleum, facing the incense bowl. He pulled the rabbit out of the   
front of his cloak, gently and focused. He hoisted the hare above his head,  
looking at it in the eye. It didn't seem scared. Slightly encouraged by this,   
he cradled the rabbit, almost lovingly, in his arms and walked through the   
stone door. His shadow the last trace of him in that building, still clucking   
to the desert hare. 


	9. Default Chapter Title

  
Lily and James break up! Enemies at last. We zoom to the near future and it  
is highly and thoroughly confusing! The usual cliches apply. True love never ails.  
Etc. I'm adding a disclaimer. ALl those characters that don't exist in  
Joannes books are M I N E! Thanks for all your reviews! You can give me more  
if you like...no, do not leave this story with out giving me a review, even flames,   
blanks or whatever!  
  
------  
  
Sirius was snoring, highly unusual for him. Remus was lying on his side, curled   
up and content. James sat up on his bed, looking through his curtains at the  
sunny dormitory and the people in it.   
  
It was December 27th, and the morning was cold and crisp, with sunshine drowning   
them. It had been a pleasant two days, without most people here. Most left   
on the train but some used Floo Power, to maximise their time at Hogwarts. As   
did Peter and Grace Chandler, a girl who had burst into tears early Christmas  
morning over Sirius. James scrawled on a spare piece of parchment that he was   
going to the common room. He was really going to see if Lily was awake. Unless   
she was naked, James was sure she wouldn't mind. There was no other first years   
staying for the Labor Day weekend.   
  
James pulled his robes over his head and then attempted to flatten his unruly   
and stubbornly messy black hair. He made a check to see if his face was dirty   
and the mirror snored in his face. James pulled on his cloak; he had left the   
warm security of his comforting and soft bed. He pulled shoes to his feet and   
then set off, leaving the note on Sirius bed table.  
  
He knocked quietly on Lily's dormitory oak, polished door. There was a rustling   
from behind it. She opened it the slightest bit them mumbled. He caught the  
words: 'Hang on' and then she shut the door quietly. She opened it about a minute   
later, her hair sitting tidily and proudly flat on her head, her cloak over her   
robes and shoes on her feet.   
  
'Come in' she said, motioning him to her bed. She pulled him into a kiss; James   
was taken by surprise, then started kissing back. They did this for a while,   
sitting there, tasting each others mouths, slowly dissolving into their lips.   
They were interrupted by a creak of the door, which was immediately slammed.   
  
'Who is that?' Lily asked, appearing calm but a slight shrill was in her voice.   
  
'I'll go check, it was probably Sirius or Remus.' James assured her, pecking her   
on the ear as he stood up.   
  
'Remus?' he asked into the silent corridor. He heard some familiar laughter   
coming from upstairs, his dormitory.   
  
James went up two flights of stairs and walked briskly into the dorm.   
  
'James, you sly!' exclaimed Sirius, still laughing.   
  
'What?' James said blankly, obviously confused.   
  
'Telling us' Sirius answered, waving James's not in the air, 'that you had gone   
to the common room, presumably waiting for breakfast, when you had really gone  
to Lily!'  
  
'How did you know that?' James thought to himself that Sirius was still in his  
pajamas and Remus was only half awake, although thoroughly entertained.   
  
'Remus told me…that's why I'm laughing.' Sirius said informatively.   
  
'Riiiight' drawled James, sardonically. 'I'm supposed to believe that am I?'  
James had an eyebrow raised.   
  
'Yeah!' Sirius said rather innocently.   
  
'Okay…' James said, conceding though reluctant to.  
  
'If you are all done?' Lupin said gently, with an evasive smile on his face.  
  
'Let's go back down to pick Lily up and have breakfast, I'm ravenous.' Said   
Sirius, rubbing his stomach area thoughtfully.  
  
'Okay.' Nodded James.  
  
'Let's go!' grinned Remus.  
  
The boys traveled down two flights of stairs and knocked on the dormitory door.  
  
'Lily?' said James when she did not answer.  
  
'I'm here, don't come in though!' she said through the door.  
  
'Okay, Sirius and Remus are here too!' he said to her, separated by the door.  
  
'Can you invite Remus in please?' Lily asked.  
  
'In you go' Lily heard James say behind the door.  
  
'Remus!' she hissed, 'in here!'  
  
'Oh, okay' he said, walking towards her bed, drawing back the curtain   
and then smiling nervously at her.  
  
'I want to know something, will you promise not to tell James?' Lily asked,   
just as or even more so nervous.  
  
'Oh' Remus chuckled, looking very relieved. 'Is that all, yes I promise not to   
tell, you might what to ask Sirius as well, seeing his nose is practically under   
the door.' He pointed out to her. Lily looked quickly enough to see one squashed   
cheek, an intelligent, black eye and a nose move swiftly away from the door.   
  
'Sirius!' Lily shrieked.  
  
'Yes, anyway?' Remus said, looking rather amused.  
  
'Does James really like me?' she whispered in his ear, so that only he could   
hear her.  
  
'Oh Lily!' he said, a bit too loudly perhaps, because Lily glared at him. 'Sorry,   
well yes he does, a lot, he hasn't been as sharp lately,' he breathed to her.  
  
'Okay, that's all I needed to know, let's go.' She said loudly. 'Thanks Remus.'   
  
'Anytime,' he said, peeking at her.  
  
They emerged from the dormitory, Sirius quickly standing up as the door opened   
and James pacing up and down the corridor, hands behind his back with a worried   
expression plastered over his face. He grinned when he saw them emerge, like  
he was at an interview and the interviewers had gong in a private room, talking   
about the future of his job or whatever.   
  
'Let's go to breakfast,' said Lily, now hungry, slipping her hand into James'.   
They walked down to the Great Hall, where all the festive decorations had been   
taken down.   
  
'Sausages!' Sirius exclaimed delighted when he saw the table.  
  
'I'm sure you have missed them! Without them for two whole days!' Lily remarked   
dryly. Everyone laughed, including Sirius.  
  
'Yeah well…' Sirius said, showing half-mangled pieces of chipolata in his open mouth.  
  
'Eew! Sirius! Table manners!' Lily shrieked, her nose wrinkled and creased.   
  
'So, Jamsie wamsie had a little lovin'?' teased Sirius, his mouth partially full still.   
  
'I kissed him!' Lily said with mild indignation.  
  
'He was kissing back though…' Remus said, half mocking James, half wanting the peace to be   
restored.  
  
'See!' said Sirius, poking his meat-stained tongue out at Lily, grinning wickedly at James.  
  
'Sirius' James groaned.  
  
'What?' he said, holding up his arms at shoulder level.  
  
*  
  
Voldemort gave the hare a little tickle beneath the right hind leg, somewhat   
affectionately. He had grown attached to the rabbit, even more so than yesterday.   
  
'Do you insist on keeping that hare! It could give us rabies!' shrilled an   
un-approving Xenia Snape.  
  
'Look! You have everything you could possibly want to keep you occupied, instead   
you pore over a rabbit!' she hissed through clenched teeth.  
  
Xenia was right, he had everything to amuse himself right here, in the sallow,   
grey room. He looked around it; foolish muggle toys were dotted every few feet.   
They were mostly made out of brightly coloured, cheap plastic and sold at an   
outrageous price for something so invaluable. Seven times what it costs to make   
them…calculated Voldemort, placing his hare lovingly into a miniature desert   
he had spent most of the day conjuring. He looked around again, pestering and   
fussing in the deep, wide shelves of wood, with all sorts of contraptions on them,   
many of which he tried out on Dolpur. Even though he knew what they were most   
of the time, it was fun to see Dolpur wince in pain as the blunt plastic jaws   
or the rings, pressed down on his skin, leaving red marks all over his arms,   
legs and stomach.   
  
Dolpur couldn't help himself; he had exhibited all the self-control he could   
muster. He let out a small whimper of pain as Voldemort slowly clamped a pair   
of silvery cutting instruments over the loose skin of his arm. There was a   
deep, long, v-shaped cut on his forearm. He clamped his hand over it tightly,   
trying to stop the blood from flowing like torrents out of his arm.   
  
Pain intensifying, Dolpur managed to get some words out of his pain-gritted teeth,   
and excuse himself from the room. He left a trail of blood behind him, spatters   
of red, thick blood on the soft, woolen rugs. He breathed out in a mechanical   
and controlled way as he reached Frangipani Mafoy.   
  
'Frangipani, Agnes, help me!' he gasped.   
  
'Voldemort, he. He was testing his…toys on…me' he panted, sweat appearing on   
his forehead.   
  
'Oh dear, you should have vacated the room…' Agnes said dryly, half between   
pity and giggles.   
  
'Well then' said Frangipani, looking sternly at Agnes, 'let's get you patched up.'   
  
They placed ointments and creams all over him for his various ailments and injuries,   
not knowing exactly each one was for.   
  
'All better now?' Agnes cooed. She was looking sweet and innocent, like she   
had fun pasting and plastering Dolpur.   
  
'Yes' he gasped, just as boils and pustules burst over his body.   
  
'Ooh dear!' giggled Agnes, eyeing the pink and green hives.  
  
'Gosh!' Frangipani managed to say, goggling over his newly acquired ailment.   
  
'GET RID OF IT!' Dolpur roared his head and body swelling with rage. He was   
cursing under his breath, very severe words too rude and dirty for your delicate eyes.   
  
'Okay' said Agnes, looking very dazed and giggly. She waved her wand in   
synchronization with Frangipani Malfoy, and then the painful boils were gone.   
  
'Thank you' Dolpur said acidly as he looked thoroughly over his arms and legs,   
just to be certain that all of them were gone.  
  
'You're very welcome' said Frangipani warmly as he swept himself out of the   
room.   
  
Four or five minutes later, Agnes shrieked for Dolpur to come here to her, instantly.  
  
Dolpur did as he was summoned, appearing at Agnes's side in three seconds.  
  
'Look at the carpet' she said sourly, her eyes had ice in them.  
  
'Yes?' he said hollowly, staring blankly at some bloodstains. Dolpur couldn't   
see what was wrong.   
  
'Its dirty!' she yelled, pointing at the specks of blood, drying rapidly on   
the woolen, grey carpet.   
  
'So?' he inquired, still not seeing the point.  
  
'YOU DIRTIED IT!!' she thundered   
  
'Oh' he said, finally seeing the point, 'so?'   
  
'SO! CLEAN IT UP!' her face started going red. 'If it is not properly cleaned   
in three hours, not just this section, but all that you have messed up, you will   
pay dearly.' She hissed as her face calmed down.  
  
'Okay' he said meekly.   
  
He conjured some cleaning equipment while Agnes supervised him like a hawk   
spotting prey.   
  
'You will clean it without magic, unless you need to conjure some more cleaning   
things, got it?' she instructed, turning sulkily on her heel and disappearing.   
'Yes miss Agnes Tyranter, I'll do that for you Agnes' he said sarcastically,   
his nose screwed up with the odour of the carpet cleaning solution.   
  
*  
  
'-Ssh!' warned Sirius, his body held upright and stiff. He jerked occasionally,   
hearing a noise or spotting Argus Filch.   
  
'Yes Sirius' said Lily cheekily, poking out her tongue and blowing a raspberry   
at him.   
  
'Careful!' moaned James, his voice full of dread as Sirius, for the sixth time,   
tripped over the hem of the invisibility cloak.  
  
'Sorry' he muttered. 'I hear someone coming.'   
  
'Who?' asked James, reflex.  
  
'I don't know' Sirius said, waving a hand. 'I said I heard them!'  
  
'Oh, okay, sorry.' Whispered James.  
  
'I see them' said Lily, who was in front.   
  
'Who is it?' both boys asked at the same time.  
  
'It's McGonagall.' She breathed. Sirius moaned softly.  
  
'Okay, it's clear, I think, let's go.' Lily whispered.  
  
'Try not to make any noise' James said.  
  
'Or fall' added Sirius.  
  
'Or trip over the cloak hem' tacked on Lily. Sirius looked at her, seemingly  
wounded. Lily gave a knowing smile, acknowledging that his drama had been caught.   
Sirius poked out his lower lip and glared at her with mock surliness.   
  
Lily merely chuckled at his antics.   
  
'Okay, here goes…' said James. He grabbed Mrs. Norris and pulled her under the   
cloak. Lily put a charm on her to make her tranquil and then they hoisted her   
into an empty classroom.   
  
'Okay, what are we going to do to her?' asked Sirius, panting a little.   
  
'I don't know, turn her blue or something.' James snapped, looking stressed   
out of the glass panel in the door.   
  
'Okay, okay. Uh, what about we use a colouring charm?' asked Lily.  
  
'Yeah!' said Sirius.   
  
'Okay, since I'm better than you two at it-' sniggers from James and Sirius   
as they looked at each other '-what colour should I make her?'   
  
'Can you do more than one colour?' asked James.  
  
'Yeah, but it wouldn't be like green on purple, it would have to be on, say,  
one leg would be blue, one ear pink, her tail yellow and that sort of thing.  
I can try a charm on her to put polka dots on her if you like…' Lily stated   
her abilities.  
  
'Okay, we'll do her front leg blue, the other one red, her back legs, uh…'   
Sirius said, clearly enthused.  
  
'Green and yellow. Her tail?' supplied James.  
  
'Purple.' Sirius said, a grin flashed on his face in the pale wand light.  
  
'Okay, who about her ears?'   
  
'Uh, orange and brown?'  
  
'Nah, orange and silver…you can manage that can't you?'  
  
'Of course…'  
  
'Good, her body?'   
  
'I can conjure some paint…it's blue and shines different colours, depending   
what angle you see it on.'  
  
'Cool, start now, you know how conjuring can take a while…'  
  
'Hmm…okay'  
  
'Well…let's get cracking!' James said, rubbing his hands together.   
  
Lily and James worked on colouring Mrs. Norris, the pain of a cat, into the   
colours of a Benneton Bag. Sirius was by the black board, trying to conjure   
the pain, he had got a can for it, but needed the paint. He was increasingly   
getting frustrated, but still kept his cool and finally managed to get a few   
splashes of paint in it. Next, There was a rush as a four-litre torrent of paint   
rushed down from nowhere and contained its self neatly in the can. Sirius got  
the blackboard duster and then wiped up the slight mess he had made wiped it clean   
and then replaced it back onto the ledge.   
  
'Are you guys ready yet?' he hissed, the can he was carrying teetering dangerously.   
  
'Almost, you can come over here you know…'  
  
'Okay, I'm coming.'  
  
'You did it!'   
  
'You doubted me?'   
  
'Yes'   
  
Sighs from Sirius.  
  
'Okay, I'm ready, put the can down before you look.'  
  
'Okay.'   
  
Sirius wandered over to where the cat was uncomfortably perched. He took one  
look at it then burst into hysterical laughter.   
  
It looked ridiculous, absolutely and positively absurd, and even comical. Sirius   
was practically snorting with laughter. Lily and James looked at each other   
then quickly decided to calm him down, James with magic and Lily with violence.   
  
'Oow!' whined Sirius, looking very injured and looking inquisitively at a brilliant   
purple bruise forming on his shin. 'Well, lets tip the paint on the cat' he   
nodded towards the colourful fur-ball that was sitting obediently and tranquilly   
on the desk. They hoisted the paint tin over the still, purring cat and then  
carefully tipped the paint onto its body. She meowed, then hissed and spat   
but then as it dried, she instantly calmed down.   
  
They sent Mrs. Norris on her way, tapping her backside to get her moving.   
They waited a good ten minutes with the invisibility cloak on then heard an   
enraged roar from the corridor. Argus Filch was standing there, his hair untidy   
and looked as though he had been trying to pull it out. Sirius almost snorted   
through his nose with laughter (he had his hand clamped over his mouth) but James   
managed to pinch it just in time.   
  
'My poor kitty' mourned Filch.  
  
She meowed.  
  
'What have those people done to you?' he asked her, soothing her and trying   
to pick her up.  
  
'Nothing?' Sirius breathed, trying to look innocent even though he had identical   
paint on his hands.  
  
Filch attempted to pick up his kitten again, but she was so peaceful, she was  
basically dead weight, she slid out of his hands and he almost broke down in   
tears. Sirius looked delighted at this, he looked like he wanted to pull out  
a camera.   
  
Lily and James were sniggering so much; they were about to burst into giggles.   
They couldn't move just in case Mrs. Norris's sensitive, coloured nose was going   
to catch even a breathe of wind from them going past.   
  
'Who did this to you?' he asked the cat, as if it was going to give an answer.   
  
Mrs. Norris simply yawned; spat at Filch then dropped lightly out of his arms  
then went towards his office where her basket was.  
  
'I'll get Miss McGonagall to reverse you!' he called desperately to the cat.   
  
She turned around instantly. She made an attempt to jump back in his arms,   
but he caught her ('Dammnit!' said Sirius under his breath, Lily smothered giggles,)   
and took her to McGonagalls office.   
  
They followed, as you would, to Professor McGonagall's office, she attempted   
to cough out a snort of laughter, but failed. Miserably.   
  
'What's so funny!' he raged at her. 'Look at my poor cat!' He looked at her,   
sobering her up.  
  
'Well' she said, slightly recovering.   
  
'Change her back!' Filch wailed.  
  
'There's no way I can…it could harm her.' McGonagall said.  
  
'There must be a way…' he sobbed.  
  
'Not without hurting her I'm afraid.' She said, it sounded like she was smirking.   
  
'Oh!' he said, like he was on the verge of tears. He sniffled, then walked   
out of the door, holding his cat joylessly, sniffling into a tissue.   
  
Lily, James and Sirius walked along the corridor, giving each other small high   
fives and congratulations under the protection of the invisibility cloak. They   
returned to the Gryffindor common room, the cloak still on. They walked down  
one flight of stairs, dropped Lily off before heading to their own dormitory.  
Remus was asleep, but Peter was awake, waiting to hear all about it. Sirius,   
sitting on James's bed, was explaining with great depth, how he conjured the   
paint.   
  
'I need to talk to Sirius' James declared.  
  
'Okay' he said in reply.  
  
'Alone' he looked at Peter as he said this; he wasn't usually nasty to Peter,   
but this he couldn't tell him.   
  
'Have you noticed that Remus is always gone around the moon?' James whispered  
to Sirius, who was making sure Peter wasn't under the bed.   
  
'Yes, but that's because he said that his mum will get sick around then…' Sirius   
pointed out.  
  
'I know, but I saw him one day, he was at Hagrid's place, it was when he wasn't   
supposed to be here.' James replied coolly.  
  
'Well…' Sirius couldn't find an answer to that. 'Maybe it was one of the days   
before, like he was saying goodbye.' Sirius grabbed at whatever rational explanation,   
he had been thinking along the same lines as James; he just hadn't the courage  
to say anything while anybody was around.   
  
'Think about it, Remus is extremely strong, he looks rather fragile.' He said,   
Sirius sitting there opened mouthed, gaping at him.  
  
'Yeah' he agreed slowly.  
  
'He is always gone around the moon'   
  
'Yeah'  
  
'So, he might be a werewolf.' James concluded, studying Sirius very closely.  
  
'But he would have told us, we are his friends!' argued Sirius in a hushed whisper.  
  
'Not necessarily, what if he thought we wouldn't be his friends anymore?'   
James pointed out.  
  
'He still would have told us,' he said blankly.  
  
'No he wouldn't have, that's my point.'   
  
'Let's ask him.'  
  
'When?'  
  
'When else?'  
  
'What now?'  
  
'Yes now!'  
  
'Sirius! He's asleep!'  
  
'So?'  
  
'So? We shouldn't wake him!'   
  
'We'll, I'm not keeping anything from him…'  
  
'Except who you like…'  
  
'Apart from that.'   
  
'No'  
  
'Too bad.' Sirius walked out of his bed to where Remus's was. He entered and   
then tapped Remus on the head, whispering.   
  
'What?' Remus asked groggily and sleepily, looking up at Sirius who was egging   
him to wake up.  
  
'We have to ask you something' was all he said, giving Remus his cloak and then   
guiding him from knocking into things to James's bed.   
  
'Well?' he demanded, now fully awake.  
  
'Yes Sirius, well?' asked James.  
  
'You ask' Sirius said. James gave him a reproving look, but opened his mouth  
to ask.  
  
'We want to know' said James slowly.  
  
'Yeah?' asked Remus, clearly wanting to get back to bed.  
  
'If you are keeping anything from us?' James said, eyebrows raised.  
  
'No!' he spluttered.  
  
'Are you sure?' said Sirius.  
  
'No' Remus said, deflated. 'What do you think I'm keeping from you?'  
  
Sirius nudged James in the ribs with his elbow.   
  
'We think you are a werewolf' he said quietly, looking at Remus. Remus looked   
dazed, the colour immediately flowing from his face.   
  
'I-uh-r-um-er' said Remus, choking on a lump in his throat.  
  
'You are aren't you?'  
  
'Yeah' he said lamely, avoiding their gazes.  
  
'Remus! Why didn't you tell us?' Sirius said, holding Remus's chin and swinging   
it around to look in their eyes.   
  
'Because, I thought…'   
  
'You wouldn't be friends with us?' finished James, Remus nodded dumbly.   
Remus looked exceedingly uncomfortable.   
  
'We'll still be friends with you…' assured James, he looked at Remus thoughtfully.   
  
'We won't tell a soul.'  
  
James looked at Remus again thoughtfully.  
  
'Are you thinking what I'm thinking James?' asked Sirius in a sly tone.  
  
'I think so…'  
  
'What?'  
  
'There is something that we can do to help you, the idea of course is ludicrous   
and we don't have enough time to do anything this year, but next year…'  
  
'Sirius, talk properly!'   
  
'What he is saying' James said, 'Is that we could become Animagus, werewolf   
transformations are very painful, so I've read, and well, since werewolves aren't   
a danger to animals, it could help control yourself.'  
  
'You'd do that!' he said, eyes popping, 'For me?'   
  
'Of course we would!' chuckled Sirius.  
  
'Really?' he said, still goggling.  
  
'Yes.' James said, nodding, looking very smug.   
  
'You should have seen what we did to Mrs. Norris…' laughed Sirius.  
  
'Yeah…' James smirked, thinking of McGonagall.   
  
'What did you do to it?' Remus said, half amused, half dreaded.  
  
'We made it a little more colourful…' said Sirius, yawning and hopping out of  
James's into his own.   
  
'Did Peter go with you?'  
  
James shook his head. 'Why, wasn't he with you?'   
  
'Nope. Night!' he said, yawning, and returned to bed.   
  
'Night.' James pulled off his robes, socks and then crawled into bed, pulling   
the covers over his head.   
  
*  
  
'Aw, the little auror has gone to beddy byes after painting a cat!' said Voldemort,   
dripping in disgust.   
  
'What?' asked Dolpur, covered in bandages after failing to make Agnes's request   
on time.   
  
'He is going to be the best auror besides Dumbledore.' Voldemort seethed.  
  
'Who is Dumbledore?' dimly asked Dolpur, maybe Agnes hurt his brain somehow,   
Dolpur was usually meddling with endless questions, but he was bright, he didn't   
know how to use his talent, but he was bright.   
  
'The creator of the Philosophers Stone, The greatest Auror that walked the earth?   
Have you told me you have never heard of Dumbledore? Meddling, trusting fool  
he is, he is almost as sappy as Dippet, but of course, Dippet was dumb, he knew   
nothing about what was going on in the castle walls, where as Dumbledore does.   
I would never do anything while I was in a forty-foot radius of him.' Raved Voldemort.   
  
'Right' said Doplur, as though he finally recognised him, he didn't.  
  
'Got it?' he snapped.  
  
'Could you show me a picture?'  
  
'Here.' Voldemort thrusted a picture of him, underneath was labeled:  
  
Professor Albus Dumbledore, Transfiguration teacher and Alchemist. Former Auror.   
  
'Now have you got it?' he snapped, snatching the picture out of Dolpur's strapped hands.  
  
Voldemort looked up and down Dolpur, somehow just recognising that he was severely  
and numerously injured.   
  
'What did you do to yourself?' Voldemort asked in very fascinated and amused   
tones.  
  
'I got on the wrong side of Agnes.' He said, attempting to hold his head up   
high, but it snapped back with the number of elastic bandages that Frangipani  
put on very tightly because she was snickering so hard.   
  
'Ah' he said wisely. 'So you have met dearest Agnes'   
  
Agnes walked into the room, beaming when she saw Voldemort, sending a penetrating   
stare to Dolpur when she saw him.   
  
'Master, is there anything I can do for you?' she said sweetly, batting her   
eyelashes slightly, smiling sweetly and looking innocent and treacley.  
  
'Suck' muttered Dolpur under his breath. Agnes caught it and she looked   
meaningfully at him.  
  
There was a pregnant silence.   
  
'So, you have met Dolpur, our torture artist?' said Voldemort.  
  
'Yes, he makes a hell of a mess,' said Agnes while staring coldly at Dolpur.  
  
'I'm the chief torturer' Dolpur said proudly, puffing out his chest, then wheezing,   
forgetting the broken ribs Agnes had given him.   
  
'And what a delicate ickle pansy you are!' she said sarcastically, replying   
to his wheeze.   
  
'Now, settle, we are all on the same side here' said Voldemort, ogling.  
  
'Okay, now, is there anything you would like?' she said, smiling sweetly again.  
  
She glowered at Dolpur. He put on a grimace.  
  
'No thank you for offering though.' Voldemort turned around, looking at the   
fire. Dolpur poked his tongue out at Agnes who turned and gave him a broken finger.   
  
'Ha ha' she whispered in his ear as her doubled over in pain.   
  
*  
  
'Miverna, could you please ensure that everyone is at the Great Hall by eight  
O'clock, I need to address them' Dumbledore asked his deputy.   
  
'Yes, why?'  
  
'Dark days are upon us…they must be prepared.' Was all he said.  
  
'Yes'  
  
'Thank you.'  
  
*  
  
'As you know, a dark wizard called Voldemort is spreading chaos and fear, he   
has attacked many houses, both magical and muggle, Kleppe Bellingsaugen and   
le Troupes la Floures, and now comes his worst and most feared. As you know,  
if you have taken out subscriptions to newspapers and magazines of various   
magical sorts, they have been stopped. This isn't to cause panic. The Ministry   
of magic was attacked on Boxing Day, two days ago, and only the minister himself   
survived. He was spared, though he faced certain death, on the condition he was   
to report it. You may have seen the dark mark as they call it, over houses, and  
I tell you not to fear his name. Do not call him 'You-Know-Who' or   
'He-that-must-not-be-named' because fear of a name causes you to fear the person   
before you even face him, god forbid that happen of course. You will need to  
be prepared. All those in sixth year and above will be taking their apparation   
tests very soon, and those in fifth year will begin to learn the theory. This   
is incase you are about to be killed, you can simply apparate before the curse   
reaches you. There will now be double Defence Against the Dark Arts classes,  
I myself will teach you, and this will be in place of less important subjects.   
Arithmancy and Herbology classes will be cancelled and there is no examination   
paper for them. People, dark days are ahead of us and we need to be able to   
defend ourselves. A small difference will help us considerably.'   
  
Chatter broke out as Dumbledore went to get a few good breaths.   
  
'Hush!' cried Professor McGonagall.  
  
'Some of us will die, people we know will die and people we love will die.'   
Dumbledores eyes drifted over to where Lily was clutching James. She didn't   
look scared, surprisingly, she looked defiant and bold. James was wincing in  
pain, no doubt because of Lily's sharp fingernails digging in his skin of his arm.   
  
'We will resist, anybody who doesn't wish to help us leave now.'  
  
Quite a few people looked as though they wanted to, only four or five left as   
well as half of the first years. None were Gryffindors.   
  
Dumbledore nodded, as though he was satisfied.  
  
'We will need all prefects, head boy and girl and any seventh year with us,   
the rest of you may leave.'   
  
People filed out of the Great Hall, chatting in panicky or troubled or lighthearted   
voices. Almost everybody agreed that the safest place was where Dumbledore was.   
  
The Hufflepuffs looked panicked ('If he can attack the ministry of magic, we're   
all doomed!) and the Ravenclaws looked worried, but weren't as panicky as the   
Hufflepuffs ('He's been working up to this for, how many years? Just as well   
it's now.') And the Gryffindors weren't at all worried ('We are under Dumbledores   
nose, ho safer could we be?' Hufflepuffs: 'What about our families?' Gryffindors:   
'Unless they are muggle, they can defend themselves, at least they weren't evil   
and died trying to kill him.')  
  
This blasé and casual feeling wasn't mutual, the Slytherins all assumed they   
were safe, because Voldemort was in their house. Some weren't to sure though   
('What will happen to us? Will we have to go on his side?'). There were a   
few uptight arguments in the common room, a few worrywarts, glutinous proboscis   
people were arguing with the more casual and courageous.   
  
'You have nothing to worry about! Your parents are already dead!'  
  
'How dare you! I thought you were my friend!'  
  
'Calm down girls, it's going to be okay,'  
  
'Shut your mouth, we all know that you'll be on the dark side!'   
  
'Yeah, keep your bill out of other birds nests!'  
  
'I was just tr-'  
  
'I said SHUT UP!'  
  
'Look, this is just what he wants, now go to bed and get some sleep'  
  
'I'm not going to bed!' their noses turned away from each other.  
  
'Why not?'  
  
'We share a dormitory,'  
  
'Too bad, now if he isn't even at the height of his power and you are already  
arguing, and you are temperamental, snappy and stressed, you're only going to  
make things harder for yourself. Now make up!'  
  
'Okay, I'm sorry,'  
  
'You said I had nothing to worry about and that my parents were dead, I know   
that, you don't have to remind me, so I'm not forgiving you.'  
  
'Fine!'  
  
'Fine!'  
  
'FINE!'  
  
The two fourth years stormed out of the room. There was what sounded like   
crying and one flounced back in, in tears and sat on the couch and refused to  
be comforted.   
  
Peter chuckled, he had nothing to worry about, he was on the prevailing side,   
the attacking side.   
  
'The side that would win' he thought.  
  
*  
Dark Mark Sighted Over Ministry of Magic.  
By Dahlia Ovens  
  
The Dark Mark of a Dark Wizard who is gaining power and calls himself 'Lord   
Voldemort' is responsible for the an attack on the Ministry of Magic on the 26th   
of December, Boxing Day 1970. There was only one survivor, the Minister himself.   
'I was spared' he said. 'Kathleen Bottlesburgur, her ghost, told me to tell their   
tale, and report the truth on how they died.' Wolffe, 49, looked very worried  
and was obviously troubled by the memory of that fateful day. 'It should have been   
me that died, I should have died with them.' He cried.  
  
Voldemort was last seen in Sweden. Anyone, who did definitely see   
him, please contact the Ministry of Magic immediately, telling them where.   
Continued pages 2, 3, 4 and 4.   
  
*  
  
It was the night of the first full moon and Remus sat in the Shrieking Shack   
waiting to transform. He took in his surroundings in the dim light and then   
noticed something that hadn't been there before. He walked over to it, trying   
to get a closer look then he doubled over in intense pain. Remus transformed,   
three feet away from the ajar door.   
  
*  
  
'Can you hear that?'  
  
'Eh?'  
  
'Can you hear that screaming and howling?  
  
'Nope'  
  
'Come hear then…'  
  
'Uh-huh'  
  
'Now can you hear it?'  
  
'Naan! Come over hear!'  
  
'Coming!'  
  
'Can you hear that?'  
  
'Yeah, it sounds like screaming and wolves or something..'  
  
'That's probably what it is!'  
  
'Oh, con I go back now?'  
  
'Yeah, sure'  
  
Two Ravenclaws stood by the window, wondering what all the howling was about.  
They shrugged and went back to their friends.   
  
*  
The year went by with a whoosh, it was now almost six weeks until exams, and   
seven weeks until the year was finally over. Lily was glad of this, she was   
kind of getting sick of James.   
  
'Lily! Wait up!' Lily turned around to see her friend, Siobhan, racing down   
the corridor.  
  
'Hey Si!' said Lily.  
  
'What's up?'  
  
'Nothing, why?'  
  
'You didn't seem quite yourself last night.' Siobhan was panting.  
  
'Didn't I?'  
  
'Nope, is anything wrong, you know, between you and James?'  
  
Lily sighed.   
  
'No'  
  
'Are you sure?'  
  
'Yes, no, well I'm kind of getting sick of him you know?'  
  
'No. I wouldn't be sick of him, look at him, well don't because then he'll   
know we are talking about him or he'll come over here but honestly Lily, people,   
especially Hufflepuffs, would kill for him!'  
  
'I know' Lily sighed again. 'But I just can't help thinking that the holidays   
will be, what's the word? Peaceful with out him.'  
  
'Lily! Honestly you are one of the weirdest persons I know!'  
  
'So?' Lily couldn't see what was wrong with that.  
  
'So? It's JAMES POTTER for goodness sakes!'  
  
'So?'  
  
'He's your boyfriend, or have you failed to notice that?'  
  
'I sort of want it to be, toned down a little.'  
  
Siobhan just rolled her eyes.  
  
'James! Come over here!'  
  
Lily groaned privately.  
  
'Would you be happy with a normal, friendly relationship James? Like, you know,   
enemies?'  
  
'Yeah, aren't we that already?'  
  
'Yes…'  
  
'So wouldn't you prefer playing pranks on her? So you would stop being taunted   
by Sirius?'  
  
'Yes…'  
  
'Where is all this leading?'  
  
'I don't know!'  
  
'Either do I'  
  
'Well I do!' Siobhan said firmly.  
  
'Well?' Lily demanded at Siobhan.  
  
'Well what?' Siobhan was puzzled.  
  
'Would you mind explaining?'  
  
'I think, not because I think James is…' Siobhan trailed off, looking slightly   
flushed and flustered, 'Anyway, wouldn't it be better off to get to know each  
other first?'  
  
'I think you're right…'  
  
'Friends right?'  
  
'Of course…'  
  
Lily shook hands with a slightly relieved looking James and then James went   
back to Sirius who was signaling James urgently.   
  
'Bye!' Lily called, James turned back and grinned, almost knocking into someone.  
  
'Thank god…'  
  
'No, thank me!'  
  
'Now you can have him, he is all yours…' Lily said, not at all bitter.  
  
*  
  
'You will be transfiguring these slippers into rabbits for the whole double   
lesson. Anyone who finishes come to me, you will get revision and some more   
work.'  
  
James sighed. He wanted to purposely not transfigure his slippers properly   
just so he wouldn't get extra.  
  
'Come and collect your equipment.'  
  
Slowly they got out of their chairs and started filing towards the equipment   
bench.   
  
James collected his slippers and then rushed back to his desk.  
  
'James! James!'  
  
'Huh?'  
  
'You have been out of it for ages, you haven't even made your rabbits with   
whiskers…'  
  
'Oh, yeah.' James instantly reversed the rabbits and then re-did the process,   
this time coming out perfectly, with whiskers and all. McGonagall (unfortunately)   
saw this from the other side of the room and came over to congratulate him.  
  
'Well done Potter!' she said hoarsely, checking her watch. 'Record time too!'   
She beamed. She picked up one of the rabbits to examine them. 'Good work,   
ten points for Gryffindor!'  
  
'Yay!' said Sirius.  
  
'Now, change them back and come and see me at my desk.'  
  
James turned the rabbits back into slippers and then picked them up lightly   
between two fingers. He strode over to her desk and she joined him a moment   
later. She handed him some instructions on a piece of parchment and then handed   
him a container which had to transfigured into a silver jug and a piece of fine   
thread which had to be transformed into an umbrella. He sighed as he went back   
to the desk where Sirius had just made fluffy pink rabbits with its eyes sewed   
together.  
  
'What are they?' James said, half-groaning and half-laughing. The laughter   
was winning and his face cracked into a grin.  
  
'They are Fluffykins and Slipperabbits!' said Sirius proudly.   
  
'What!?'  
  
'Don't you like my ickle rabbits?'  
  
'Erm' James coughed.   
  
'If that's what you call rabbits, you're screwed.' Sneered a voice behind them.  
  
There was Serevus Snape holding a charm-bound letter to Professor McGonagall.   
  
'What's the problem here boys?'  
  
'Nothing' drawled Snape, dripping in his usual manner. 'Black here was just   
showing me his rabbits!'  
  
'Oh dear, I think I'll change them back!' gasped Professor McGonagall. 'Please   
persist Mr. Black.'   
  
Sirius sighed and Snape snickered. James shot Snape a furious look and then   
he went back to transfiguring his container. He concentrated hard and then waved   
his wand. There we go. The jug was looking particularly woody around the engraving,   
but was still rather good. He sighed, then Sirius let out an excited gasp.   
  
'I did it!' he gaped at James, who looked at the pair of rabbits sitting on   
the desk. One was fluffy and brown and one was white with a pink tinge to it.   
  
James rolled his eyes, then grinned.  
  
'Well, go and show off to McGonagall!' he said. He turned back to his jug,   
turned it back into the wooden container then tried again. This time he succeeded   
and then he went to the Professors desk, plunked it beside Sirius's rabbits and   
then went back to his next task.   
  
*  
  
Voldemort sighed. He had barely gotten any publicity. Daily Prophet articles   
and that was about all. He hadn't checked in those girly magazines. He had   
given that task to Agnes who accepted it with relish. He found Dolpur to assemble   
Xenia, Frangipani and the usual people together to discuss their next attack  
. He thought that this was the one that was going to give him the most power.   
He sighed, and then looked at the hare, which was suffering amiably for attention   
and comfort. Voldemort had made several 'improvements' to the rabbit. He had given   
it sharp, metallic teeth and claws, A swiping tail about three feet long and   
then to top it off, pewter ear caps. Dolpur and Frangipani laughed when they  
saw it. Frangipani managed to keep it to a quiet snigger but Dolpur didn't.  
He howled with laughter and then it resulted in Voldemort allowing Agnes to   
hurt him some more. Agnes always liked that rabbit, she cared for it, cooed   
to it and played with it when Voldemort couldn't be bothered.   
  
The rest of the team were coming.   



	10. Default Chapter Title

OOKAY! STOP E MAILING ME FOR MORE I TELL YOU!! STOP IT!! ARRGH! OVER WHELMING!  
Thanks to all those that e mailed me for more! I have had *so* much homework over   
the last month, I'm telling you: three musical period projects (all over one thousand words each)  
: two chapters of maths: four chapters of the english novel: two history essays  
each two thousand words: forensics project, solving a mystery which in my case is a murder  
: six recipies for home ecomonics: four poems: three short tories (all bad): seventeen  
songs to learn for band: nine for orchestra: six for chior: twelve for youth band.  
So I have been very, very busy lately, sorry! This was all last weeks homework.  
Multiply that by four and it equals no spare time. Plus all the rowing and running  
and swimming I have to do equals no spare time plus no sleeping, eating or resting.  
  
Thanks again, please, pleeeeease review!  
  
****  
  
'The best shot we have, is to kill Dumbledore or at least get him out of the castle' Voldemort told his team; Xenia Snape, Frangipani Malfoy, Donna Hilton,  
Dolpur, Julian Jargon, Gretchen Fowler, Agnes Tyranter, Vincent Goyle, Peter Pettigrew, Joaquin Jinx, Dalid Dittlesmorn, Dahlia Ovens and Greig Matheson. They all murmured in agreement.   
  
'How are we going to do that?' asked Dahlia Ovens in her reporter style voice.   
  
'Well, I could challenge him to a duel, we could kidnap him while he is in his sleep…' Voldemort continued on various plots and ploys to get Dumbledore out of the castle and the others helped him. Peter, however, remained silent. He thought how good Dumbledore had been to them all and he didn't want to betray him. He also didn't want to betray his master. Peter went home from the meeting, telling his 'friends' that he had been in the hospital ward because he felt sick.   
  
Fidelity unplaced, Peter went down to dinner and then straight up to bed. He sighed as he lay on his bed, flat on his back, staring straight up at the canopy of his bed. He had his arms splayed out, taking up as much space as possible and breathing in and out deeply and loudly. He tried to make it regular as he heard Sirius and James enter the dormitory. He quickly got under the quilt and then coiled up as if he was slumbering. He heard someone shift the curtain very slightly and Sirius's voice told James he was asleep, so naturally they would make as much noise as possible. 'They had always done that' thought a spiteful Peter bitterly. 'Never had done with Remus, but me they always make noise!' he sulked privately. He gingerly rubbed his shrouded collarbone, he had to press hard on his skin, and then almost wanted to burst into bitter tears.   
  
It was true that he did want to betray them; but they didn't know that. They had no reason to be hostile to him, he had not divulged his secret to anybody, no one at all. Not even his parents. Peter slowly and unwillingly fell into a sleep nightmare ample.   
  
*  
  
Lily groaned, she didn't want to wake up. The warm, fervid security was like too irresistible to refuse. Dolorous and morose, Lily pressured herself to get out. Slowly and timidly she got out. Almost summer! The air was tepid and welcoming, she felt strangely comfortable and it felt as though she was easing through the air. She looked out of the window, the snow long melted, recalling one of the best Christmases she had in her life. Without Petunia looking down at her snootily. She sighed, soon she would be back at her house for two whole months. Lily felt slightly apprehensive about that, but she was longing to see her parents again. Of course, she would annoy Petunia by having one of her witch friends stay over, visit James, Sirius and Remus and Jenny, Siobhan and Cheyenne. She would travel by Floo Powder or train. Lily collected her things and headed towards the bathroom.   
  
*  
  
'I am so going to fail Charms!' James groaned into his porridge.   
  
'Good!' Lily said cheerfully, plonking herself onto the seat next to him. Sirius beamed.   
  
James looked at her from under his glasses, his head tilted considerably so his chin was touching his chest. Lily spotted this and gave herself a quick mental shake. Sirius looked at both of them, seeing fireworks and daggers and a lot of blood.   
  
'You should have seen Snapey boy last night Lily!' said Sirius, throwing a dirty look at Snape as he walked past. 'Hair is more greasy than yesterday!' he muttered to Lily and James. Snape heard, most deplorably, and prodded Sirius in the back of the neck with his wand. Sirius automatically turned into a goat. Sirius bleated as Professor McGonagall shrieked at Snape:   
  
'How DARE you Serevus! Using Transfiguration on other students! I think a hundred points from Slytherin and a month of detentions for you!' she shrilled.  
  
'But-' said Snape, opening his mouth to defend himself.  
  
McGonagall was busy trying to change back Sirius. It was a difficult task for her, as he had not Transfigured Sirius properly. In about two minutes he was back to normal, wearing a ferocious scowl on his face. James was grimacing, trying to keep Lily from laughing in his face.   
  
'Now Black, what made him turn you into a goat?' she demanded, holding his shoulder very firmly and surveying him, to see if anything was still goat. There was a slight 'pop' as Sirius grew a white goatee. Lucius Malfoy howled, once more, with laughter and he was clutching his side.   
  
'Enough!' barked McGonagall, sending him a fearsome look as though he would regret laughing.   
  
'What did you do Black?' she barked, assigning him a special reproving look.   
  
'I said he needed to wash his hair! It's getting far too greasy!' Sirius protested.  
  
'Yes, well I tend to agree…' McGonagall said, fading off but then regrouping herself. 'Five points from Gryffindor!' she said, not showing the slightest intention of actually taking them off, but as Snape was there, she had no choice.  
  
Snape stalked off, looking sour, with Lucius and Vincent in mimicking.   
  
James looked as though rage had overwhelmed him as he looked at the retreating backs of the three. Lily was scowling at them and Sirius was looking desperately down, straining his eyeballs no doubt, trying to look at the goatee. Professor McGonagall irritably waved her wand and it disappeared with a crack. She stormed off to the high table. Professor Gorge asked her what happened, and she told the tale, every now and then shooting furious looks at the three of them. The Professor simply shook his and chuckled lightly. Professor McGonagall looked slightly exasperated.   
  
'So, it is a weekend, what are we going to do?' asked Sirius who, much to Lily's aggravation, had his mouth full of food.   
  
'I don't know!' said James, his eyebrows raised as he lifted a forkful of sausage to his mouth.   
  
'Well we should be studying for our exams!' said Lily, who hadn't the slightest of intentions to do so.   
  
Sirius snorted. 'I' he started but stopped as he caught James's look. Lily thought he had gotten into trouble. 'Much mistaken! WE, don't need to dedicate our leisure time to such a tedious, monotonous, laborious and fatiguing such as thing as study!' Sirius declared melodramatically.   
  
'Uh!' Lily snorted, then remembered something. 'Didn't you, James, say that you were going to fail your charms exam?' she toyed. She had a sly tone James didn't like, though he had used it aplenty times himself.   
  
'Yes, but I didn't mean I was going to fail it. I was exaggerating. I'm only going to get a bad mark!'   
  
'Right!' said Lily sarcastically, disbelievingly.   
  
'Don't look too disappointed!' James replied to the expression on her face. Sirius snorted and Lily blushed.   
  
'Oh. Yeah, sorry!' she said, looking plainly embarrassed.   
  
'Well, we must be off!' chortled Sirius, he pulled James's robes collar just as he was lifting a goblet of juice to his mouth. It sloshed down the front of his robes. James looked down at it disdainfully, but simply wiped it away.   
  
'Bye!' James waved to Lily as Sirius dragged him out of the Great Hall. Sirius waved over James's head when they reached the egress. Lily smiled into her bacon and tomato bagel she had freshly prepared herself. A strange effluvium wafted in her direction, but left as a group of Hufflepuff second years walked by, gawking at her. Lily felt conspicuous nevertheless continued to devour her bagel.   
  
*  
  
'I!' exclaimed Dolpur to Agnes, 'Have figured out a way to get Dumbledore out of the castle!' he continued to crow in front of Agnes who looked calm and serene, not at all invidious as he had expected. He felt slightly let down.   
  
'What?' she asked vulgarly as he gaped at her.   
  
'You-you aren't jealous?' he managed to blunder.   
  
'Of course not!' she said smugly.  
  
'Would you go so far as to tell me why?' he demanded, open-mouthed.   
  
'No!' Agnes said, quite cheerfully, but had a cutting tone to it. Like she knew something he didn't.   
  
He looked contumelious down at Agnes.   
  
'What is it?' he demanded, looking at her eloquently.  
  
'Oh! Nothing, nothing' she said though her tone innocent she had an air of deception in her voice.  
  
'What?' he said acrimoniously, clenching his fists and biting his lower lip.   
  
'Are we getting a little bitty bit upset are we?' Agnes gibed, looking very pleased.   
  
'No' he said through stiff lips.   
  
'Are you sure?'   
  
'Yes'  
  
'Then what did you want to tell him?'  
  
'As if I'd tell you, you'd probably steal my idea!'  
  
'I wouldn't!'  
  
'It is the exact thing you'd do!'  
  
'Well, it depends on how brilliant it was…'  
  
'This is very!'  
  
'Yeah, well, I'd like to accompany you when you go and see him. I have something to ask him anyhow'  
  
'Fine!"  
  
'Thank you!"  
  
  
'Let's go…where is he?'  
  
'Oh, I think he is in the front room…'  
  
Agnes and Dolpur arrived in the front room, Agnes had a triumphant look on her face and was smirking at Dolpur and Dolpur also had a victorious look on his face but he looked very protective.   
  
'What is it?' Voldemort said without turning around.  
  
'Dolpur has a theory on how to get Dumbledore out of Hogwarts for you' Agnes smirked, her arms crossed.   
  
'Well, what is it?' Voldemort snapped. Dolpur suddenly felt nervous and gulped fervently.   
  
'I-I have a plan' quavered Dolpur nervously. He felt like he was talking in front of the whole school of Durmstrang, he looked up from his feet expecting to see an ocean of faces but all he saw was Voldemort, his associate and Agnes who was smirking so hard she was on the verge of laughter. His nerves immediately accustomed but he still felt as though everything was in slow motion. He tugged on his sleeves and mumbled out his plan. Voldemort laughed; cackled in his face. Dolpur could feel his temper rising like the sun. He clenched his fists and then counted to ten, slowly, but it did nothing to relieve the ire he felt.  
  
When Voldemort had finished laughing at him, he asked him why he was laughing. The atmosphere in the room had gone cold, icy. The clouds even agreed; they blocked the sun from them.   
  
'We have a plan' he snapped impatience evident lividly in his voice.   
  
'But, surely mine is better?' Dolpur gasped, tears of rejection threatening to spill out of his eyes.  
  
'Are you insulting me?' drawled a voice coolly from a chair that he hadn't noticed. The chair spun around and Dolpur was ready to faint.   
  
'No! No!' he managed to gasp, all air being sucked out of his body. He was gaping like a goldfish.   
  
'Dolpur, where are your manners today!' Voldemort teased. 'Bow to him and stop gawking like a goldfish'  
  
Dolpur bowed then scanned the visitor like a hawk spotting prey.   
  
'Master Wang, forgive me!' he breathed, desperately trying to inhale. He withdrew from his bow.   
  
'You are forgiven' said Master Wang, clasping his hands and bowing his head over them.   
  
'Master Wang has kindly joined us, he will only be here for a short time' Voldemort said curtly, giving Dolpur one of his nastiest looks.   
  
'Yes, as these details are private, I must insist that you leave here' Master Wang said, giving him a sharp look that told him if he dared to disagree there would be severe problems.   
  
'A-a!' Dolpur began to protest but he was hit with a curse, seemingly from no where. Agnes didn't have her wand, either did Voldemort, his was sitting next to Wang. He looked around in agony, trying to make sense of the scenes around him. Agnes looked relished, Voldemort wasn't looking and Wang had an extremely satisfied look on his face.   
  
'Like my form of magic?' he asked silkily as he held out a hand and did a funny little twirl. The intense pain at the back of Dolpur's eyes vanished.   
  
'How-how did you d-do that?' he gasped, rubbing gingerly under his thin glasses.  
  
'You ask of my secrets fool?' Wang asked, snapping his head around and eyeing him suspiciously through narrowed eyes. Dolpur looked at him hard, taking in his appearance properly for the first time. He was wearing orange and yellow robes embellished with an oriental pattern in gold. His head had only a strip of clean straight black hair, which was centered, loosely clasped in a gold and jade clip, the rest left loose and long to flow down him back. Dolpur did notice a fine black streak of hair, tightly forced into a very tight plait, fastened about a foot from the end. His hair was about five feet long, almost as long as he was. His eyes were red, presumably from all the killing he had performed. He had very fine eyes, slits of almond, suspicious and wary, looking for peril at every corner. He looked menacing, merciless and tart. His face was intelligent and quick, not one would want to double cross, or cross at all. He was clean-shaven and had pale, sickly skin that seemed to radiate evilness. When he looked into Wang's eyes he felt a cold, icy shudder run through him to his toenails.   
  
'No!' Dolpur said, gulping. 'I was simply asking how you manage to perform magic wandlessly!'   
  
'I am one in ten billion, so rare it is believed to be a myth. A flaw in magic.' Wang said.  
  
'What-what are you?' Dolpur asked, forgetting his manners, gawking at the master, his glasses raised to his brow.  
  
'I am-' a crash came, through the door. There was laying Xenia Snape with a furious Augustus Rookwood over her. Rookwood looked as though he had not come voluntarily.   
  
'I see our Xenia has met her match' Voldemort drawled, brooding on his face.  
  
'I was about to inform you that Augustus had finally graced us with his presence' Xenia said, her lip curling in a contemptuous glare promptly forwarded to Rookwood, 'But he pulled a struggle, I was forced to place him under my control, he was resisting.' She again glared at Augustus who whimpered in mock fright.  
  
'What may you require from me?' asked Augustus very stiffly, his eyes traveled across the room until they met Master Wang. Augustus let his jaw drop several feet. He stared for what felt like five minutes until Wang snapped at him.  
  
'What are you shtaringk at?' he demanded, his accent causing a slight lisp while he talked quickly.  
  
Augustus bowed very deeply, his thick reading glasses sliding down his nose, and then kneeled and kissed the hem of Wang's robes, making them soggy.   
  
'Stop it! Stop it!' Wang shrieked, batting Augustus heavily away from his damp robes. When Augustus did not move he used magic. Augustus was blasted on the other side of the room, splayed out like a bird drying its wings. He gasped for air, seemingly winded.  
  
'What do you want?' Dolpur snapped disapprovingly honing over Rookwood.  
  
'I want him' Voldemort said very coldly. Dolpur looked utterly embarrassed; even Wang looked over at him.   
  
'Sorry Master!' he gasped.  
  
'Leave us in peace you meddling fool!' Voldemort bellowed to Dolpur. Agnes, Xenia, Rookwood and Wang all stood still.  
  
'Yes' quavered Dolpur, not even bothering to say master.  
  
'Now, we can discuss the plan…' Voldemort said, obviously calmer.  



End file.
